Have You Forgotten That I Love You?
by WannaKnownLee
Summary: **B+B** (Taking place directly after "Bijou's Favorite Ribbon") Hamtaro has finally become understanding of Bijou's feelings, and feels the same way...but where does Boss stand in all this? (Complete)
1. Like Any Ordinary Day

Chapter 1: Like any ordinary day  
  
The story opens up in Laura's bedroom. The sun is shining through the window so brightly that it wakes Hamtaro up. The sunlight hits and bounces off of the bars of his hamster cage into his bright, young shining eyes. He widens his mouth with a yawn. He looked up at Laura's bed to see her still sleeping in it, then turns to look at the clock.  
  
"Heke?" he squeaked as he glanced at the face of the clock which now read 7:25. "Laura and I are usually up by 7:00! I wonder why we're up so late? Hmm..." the young hamster pondered and tried to think back at other mornings when they woke up by their regular schedule. "Oh yeah, now I remember! We're usually woken up by that loud noise that the clock makes when it tells us to get up! I remember yesterday it even started singing to us. I wonder how it does it without a guitar? Hmm... I'll bet Jingle would know! He's a musical expert!" Hamtaro thought, not understanding yet that the alarm clock was a radio.  
  
"Well, I better wake her up. Laura sure gets grumpy if her mom has to wake her up!" Hamtaro thought, and with that, he made his way out of the cage and scurried up to the bed. As he ran along the bedroom floor, he could feel the softness of the carpet. A small tuft of it even got caught between his toes, but was quickly shaken out by his running. "Wait a minute... How do I get up here again?" he thought as he arrived at the end of the bed. "Kushi-kush... Kushi-kush," he rubbed the fur on his forehead, which, as you may or may not know, he and many other hams do when they are confused or need to think. "Aha!" he cried out as he saw a bit of her bed sheet draping down. "Oopaaah!" he exclaimed while jumping at the sheet and doing his best to dig his claws in it like a feline. This attempt failed, so he quickly began running up the sheets instead. "Badda-badda badda-badda," the hamster said as he climbed up the bed sheets. Before he knew it, he was beside Laura's shoulder. He could hear her soft breathing as he climbed up.  
  
Hamtaro sighed as he saw his dear caretaker sleeping. "Just look at her. She looks so peaceful. I wonder what she's dreaming about?" the rodent pondered, watching his human friend lie peacefully. "Well, time's a-wastin'!" he thought, and with that, he stood up on two paws on her neck and began pawing and sniffing at her ear. With that, he heard a sound come from her mouth.  
  
"Mm... Travis," she said with a giggle.  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro wondered. He knew he had heard of this "Travis" before; he knew it sounded familiar. "If only," he thought "I could remember what it was!". He sniffed her ear again, and she continued giggling. He knew he had heard that specific giggle before too. It wasn't the giggle she would utter when she heard something funny, like when Kana would tell her a joke or something... but what was it? Then he suddenly remembered; a storm of memories ran through his hamster brain, which contained much more knowledge than most humans would think. He remembered it was the giggle he heard when she would put on her ribbons in the morning, talking about Travis. Then he remembered that Travis was the human whom she had been secretly admiring for some time now; he knew this because she would always talk about him while writing in her diary and adjusting her hair bows. And while he was thinking about ribbons, he suddenly looked down at his foot and realized that he was still wearing Bijou's favorite ribbon which she had generously bandaged his paw with after he had stumbled down a hill. He also remembered the walk home, when Bijou uttered those two words: "Come, Hamtaro," he could still hear her soft voice echoing in his head.   
  
He blushed at this thought, but soon shook it off remembering that he had to wake up Laura. He kept trying to paw her ear, but only heard more giggling and talk of Travis. Hamtaro knew what he had to do, and he knew he would regret it. He also knew that Laura would be very angry with him if she ever found out that he did it. But there was no other way, and he figured that he might as well get it overwith. "I'm sorry Laura, this is gonna be tough..." he squeaked in his sad little hamster voice. Then, Hamtaro did what he never thought he would be doing. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, and gave a rough chomp to Laura's ear. Shortly after, he found himself clinging to the side of the bed; Laura had sat up straight, causing him to tumble down off her neck. He felt nervous, wondering what her reaction would be, yet he felt lucky that he hadn't plunged to the floor. Then again, the carpet was very soft, as he recalled. But that didn't matter anyway. What mattered was that he had done what he had to do and it was finally overwith. But he could still hear the screech that Laura had let out when she sat up in what he couldn't distinguish as shock or pain.   
  
Laura looked at the clock right away and was very confused. A river of questions flowed through her mind. "Why didn't the radio go off? What woke me up? And why did it have to be that part of the dream? It was just getting good! Oh no, where did the outfit I picked last night go?" Added to all this, she heard Hamtaro's cries. "Aah! Hamtaro!" The anxious girl picked up her pet and set him next to her mirror on the dresser. "How did you get on my bed? Ahh... Did you eat my outfit?! Ugh... What am I saying?" The girl was having trouble keeping her priorities straight. "Stay there!" she told her hamster, out of breath. She found her outfit. Turned out she hadn't left it on the bed at all, but under it. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. In the meantime, Hamtaro found a very tasty looking hamster treat in an open drawer...  
  
About ten minutes later, when Laura had calmed down, she was fixing her hair again. This time, she put in some glittered barettes instead of ribbons. "If I were you, I'd stick with ribbons. Guys like ribbons more than barettes; trust me, I know!" Hamtaro thought, and giggled afterward. Then he sort of scared himself realizing that he had giggled. Was he turning into a girl? He walked in front of Laura's vanity mirror to make sure he wasn't growing eyelashes or anything. He wasn't and sighed out of relief.  
  
"Hey little guy, what are you doing? Trying to clean yourself up for someone special?" Laura said to her hamster. But Hamtaro didn't hear her. He was too busy trying to figure all this out. Why was he giggling? He remembered hearing Laura giggle, of course. He remembered hearing Sandy giggle when she asked him to tell Maxwell about her feelings for him. He didn't think he had ever heard a ham-boy giggle before until he finally remembered.  
  
"Maxwell!" he thought. "I remember Maxwell would kinda giggle when he was talking about Sandy! But what does it all mean? Kushi-kush... Hmm, I better ask Maxwell about it since he's had experience in this whole giggling thing. Gosh, I hope I'm not sick or something!" he thought. When Laura said goodbye to him, he was sad to see her go, but was overcome with joy, realizing he could now leave forth to the Ham-Ham clubhouse! And the sooner he left, the sooner he would find out what was going on with all this giggling nonsense. Or was it nonsense at all? He was so anxious that he could barely think. Then he decided he should just go, and try to think about it as little as possible, since it was slowing him down. But how couldn't he think about it? "Oh well," he thought. "I'd better just go," And off he went through his gutter pipe route outside. "Hmm, I wonder if Brandy would know anything about it?" Hamtaro thought as he slid down the pipe. 


	2. Where's Maxwell?

Chapter 2: Where's Maxwell?  
  
"Hey Brandy! How's your morning?" Hamtaro squeaked. Brandy widened his mouth for an oncoming yawn. Afterwards, the dog lay there in his doghouse, completely motionless. "Yeah, I kinda had a feeling you would say that. Hey, listen, I'm kinda havin' a problem. Think you could help me?" Brandy gave no answer. "Uh, nevermind. I'll just have to see Maxwell about it. Bye Brandy! Have a nice day!" Hamtaro called out as he scampered off. While running on his normal route to the clubhouse, Hamtaro was in deep thought about Bijou and how much he hoped today would be as good as yesterday, except maybe start out a little better. Why wouldn't it start out good? I mean, things were good the last time he saw Bijou, what would be different about this time? But... then again, things were fine between him and Bijou before the whole "blind ham's bluff incident" with Bijou's ribbon... But afterwards things got better! "Uh-oh!" he thought, "What if today starts out well, but ends terrible?" He quickly shook this thought off by saying to himself "You're just being paranoid. Things'll be fine. Just think about making Bijou happy! Ah, Bijou..." the young ham once again blushed and let out a giggle at the thought of Bijou. That frightened him even more, but he decided that for now, he should just concentrate on getting to the clubhouse.  
  
Hamtaro decided to slow down a little, figuring that maybe he wouldn't be so confused over everything. But he was wrong; walking only seemed to make it worse. So he quickly began running again, but before he could have run three steps, he crashed into something. No, wait; it wasn't a something, it was a someone! Soft, shiny golden fur, a pink ribbon tied in a bow, sparkling blue eyes... It was Sandy! And who better to ask about Maxwell than his hamgirl? "Oh no! I'm sorry Sandy! I didn't mean to run into---"  
  
"Hamha! Good morning, Hamtaro!" Sandy interrupted, noticing that Hamtaro looked a little nervous about running into her. "Sorry, I should've watched were I was going more closely. I'm just kinda nervous because..." As Sandy's words slowed, sadness covered her face.  
  
"Heke? What's the matter, Sandy?" Hamtaro wondered about the insecure look on her face.  
  
"Well, it's just... See, Maxwell and I are supposed to walk to the clubhouse every morning, and..." As she spoke, Hamtaro noticed an increase of moisture in her eyes. She was crying! "The thing is, Maxwell took too long to get to my house, so I decided to go to his house and see if he was there..." Sandy stopped speaking.  
  
"Well, was he there?" Hamtaro said cautiously.  
  
"Yeah, he was there. I called his name, but I guess he didn't see me. So I hurried up to his cage, but when I did, he was still sleeping. I woke him up, and then he told me... he told me..." Sandy couldn't hold her tears in any longer. She burst out crying and put her head on Hamtaro's shoulder.  
  
"What? What'd he say?" Hamtaro said nervously.  
  
"He was sick! Oh, Hamtaro, he was sick!" Sandy bawled. She sniffled and said "And the worst part is, we don't know how serious it is! He says that he can't find what he has, because if he looks it up in his book, his book will be covered with germs, and he won't be able to use it again!" At this point, the flow of tears from Sandy's eyes seemed endless.  
  
"Uh, well, maybe someone at the clubhouse could look it up! I bet Boss or Dexter could find it!" Hamtaro said, trying to cheer the depressed hamgirl up.  
  
"Oh like wow! You really think so?" Sandy blared.  
  
"Yeah, I think," Hamtaro reassured.  
  
"OK Let's go!!!" Sandy said, and with that, the two of them scattered to the clubhouse. As soon as they got there, everyone was gathered at the table, chattering their little ham-lips off.  
  
"Hey! There they are!" Oxnard blurted out.  
  
"But wait... It's only Hamtaro and Sandy," Panda said.  
  
"Yeah, where's Maxwell?" Pashmina wondered.  
  
"Ookwee!" Penelope followed. Stan walked up to the two of them.  
  
"Like, you okay, sis?" he asked, "What was with the hold-up today?" Sandy was surprised at this, considering it was one of the few times her brother would show concern for her in front of all the other hams. "He must have been really worried," she thought. 


	3. Boss Snaps

Chapter 3: Boss Snaps  
"Oui, I would like to know also," Bijou said softly. Hamtaro put his paws near his mouth to prevent anyone seeing him blushing, but Bijou saw right through it, and she blushed too. When Boss, who was sitting in his chair, noticed this, his eyebrows pushed down upon his face as hard as they possibly could. Hamtaro wasn't the only one who remembered what had happened yesterday so clearly. In fact, poor Boss couldn't get the picture of Hamtaro and Bijou joined paw in paw, walking and singing together out of his head. His face turned red, but it wasn't blushing, it was red-hot from anger. He was furious with Hamtaro. Hamtaro knew how he felt about Bijou. Hamtaro knew that Boss saw her first. Hamtaro knew that Boss was always nervous around Bijou. Hamtaro knew that Boss understood the topic of romance first. But, no, Hamtaro was going to have it his way. He would have Bijou, not Boss. Boss would carry on, spreading his anger. "No," he thought, "It won't go on this way; I won't let it. I will find a way to sabotage this relationship. Hamtaro won't get away with this," he thought.  
  
Sandy explained the morning's events and told everyone Hamtaro's idea about having Dexter or Boss read it. "Boss will have to read it," Dexter stated sadly.  
  
"Whoa, Dexter, you look, like, different!" Sandy said.  
  
"Dexter forgot his glasses today," Pashmina clarified.   
  
"Yep, ya just can't depend on someone like him, Pashmina! Just when ya think he's perfect as perfect can be, he goes and does somethin' like that! I, on the other hand, live in a perfectly organized convinience store, which has had quite an effect on my well-bein' and---"  
  
"Are you calling me a slob?!" Dexter interrupted Howdy's rude remark.  
  
"I have no comment at the time,"  
  
"You called me a slob! Admit it, you coward!" The two rivaled hams refused to stop bickering, until Boss finally couldn't take it any longer.  
  
"Would you two knock it off?! Every day, I have to put up with you, and more than ten other hamsters, roaming, wandering through my house, always making sure that they don't find any of my personal possesions,"  
  
"Personal possesions? Are ya hidin' somethin', Bos--"  
  
"Don't interrupt me, Howdy! I've always let you hamsters stay in my house and make it your own little 'clubhouse', but have I ever gotten a mere 'thank-you'? No! Instead, not only am I faced with loud, playing hamsters, but the one thing of all this that makes it all worthwhile is taken away from me!" Boss yelled furiously.  
  
"Boss, what are you talking about? No one's ever stolen anything from you...right?" a puzzled Hamtaro said. The ham-hams looked at each other, each knowing they had never stolen from Boss... but did anyone else here steal from him? The answer was unanimous among all the hamsters: No.  
  
"You shouldn't be talking, Hamtaro, you're the one who took my hapiness away!" Boss stormed.  
  
"Heke? I didn't take anything!"  
  
"Don't deny it, Hamtaro! Everyone thinks you're so innocent, but you're not! You know you're not! You know what you've done, so don't put on your act of innocence, because despite what everyone else sees, I can see right through you! Hamtaro, you're a Ham-breaker!" And with that, Boss stormed into his room, just as Bijou had done the day before after discovering where her ribbon had gone. The ham-hams were very confused about Boss's statement, especially Hamtaro. He didn't remember stealing from Boss, or from anyone else for that matter. What did he do wrong? He was hoping for a good day today. Why couldn't he just put his troubles behind him? Why couldn't he just avoid them, get rid of them? Why did there have to be trouble at all?  
  
"How long is this gonna continue?" he wondered. The rest of the hams figured that they should go and shouldn't come back. They remembered that Boss had done this once, when all of the hamsters had driven him crazy with their noise, but this was something much more serious. This time, the chances of Boss letting them back in was more slender than ever. The last time he had done it, he didn't single anyone out. Everyone figured that he was angry at Hamtaro for something--- but what was it? Everyone was anxious to know, but not anxious enough to stay. The only ham who stayed was Hamtaro. Bijou urged him to come along with the other hamsters, but he refused. "This is just something I gotta do, Bijou. I can't have fun knowing that Boss is mad at me," Hamtaro told Bijou in a sad voice.  
  
"Then I will stay with you," Bijou said to him.  
  
"No, Bijou, I think this is something that Boss and I need to talk about alone. You go and have fun with the other hams, and don't worry about me" these words assured Bijou that he would be alright, but for some reason, she still felt nervous about leaving him alone with Boss, who was so angry that she had no idea what he would do. She knew that he would never kill Hamtaro or anything, but she just wasn't sure. She knew that Boss was a kind being, even if he didn't like to show it sometimes. Still, she worried for Hamtaro. 


	4. Can Things Change?

Chapter 4: Can Things Change?  
  
Hamtaro walked slowly up to Boss's door. He swallowed hard as he knocked on the small, wooden door. "Boss?" he said softly. No answer. "Boss? Are you... alright?" he said a little louder. To his surprise, Boss opened the door without hesitation. He walked back in and sat upon his bed, as if he were motioning for Hamtaro to come in with him. Hamtaro pointed to himself as if to ask "Are you saying you want me to come in there?" Boss understood perfectly what it meant, and gave a small nod to him. Hamtaro slowly crept into the room. He had never been in there before. He looked around and he saw a few pictures of Bijou hanging on the wall beside his bed. Hamtaro looked at them for a few minutes and faintly blushed. Then he began to talk to Boss.  
  
"So... how are things?" Hamtaro said, feeling like an idiot. He knew exactly how things were, but that was the only way he could start out a conversation with Boss. What was he supposed to say, something like "So, how's the state of anger and depression?" Soon enough, Boss answered.  
  
"Not so bad. Not so good either, but not so bad," Boss's eyebrows sagged in sorrow when he spoke these words. Hamtaro waited a few minutes to make his next move. He thought for a minute, then spoke.  
  
"Well, uh, what's the bad part?" and as soon as Boss's eyebrows turned angry again, Hamtaro knew right away that he had made a big mistake. Boss turned around to hide his anger.  
  
"Nothing...really..." he muttered.  
  
"Come on, Boss, before you said that I had taken your happiness away! What did I do wrong?" Hamtaro questioned the angry ham.  
  
"Nothing! Now then... you said you wanted me to look for the sickness that Maxwell has, right?" Boss snapped.  
  
"Well, yeah, but---"  
  
"Then let's get looking! What did you say the symptoms were?" Boss interrupted to avoid any trouble.  
  
"Symptoms? Uh, well, he had a stuffy nose, droopy whiskers, and his forehead was warm! Or at least that's what Sandy said..." After hearing this, Boss burst out in laughter.  
  
"Hamtaro, there's no need for concern! Maxwell has a simple fever, and he's gonna be fine!" Boss said in a jolly voice. Hamtaro was relieved. Not only because he knew Maxwell would be okay, but because Boss was appearing to be his normal self again. He figured that Boss was now back to normal and things were all patched up again between him and Boss.  
  
Oh how wrong he was... 


	5. Return to Acorn Mountain

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, you guys are great...well, most of you. Anyway, although this is more of a B+B story, this part has a lot of H+B. It'll be awhile before we see any B+B interaction. Not because I prefer H+B, but because I'm trying to tell the story of how Bijou and Boss would get together after the episode "Bijou's Favorite Ribbon"... Because I hate that episode (no offense to those who like it) and I just thought it would be cool to see how Boss was feeling about all of this Hamtaro+Bijou relationship stuff. I just felt that him saying "It'll never last. Just wait." wasn't enough. (Dramatic, ne?) A bit of a "Whatever happened to Hamtaro and Bijou?" story. Here's what I have to say to you guys...  
  
Jade Stellar: T/L is a good idea. I've pretty much just been writing about the ham-hams, and I already have a few chapters written up, but T/L stuff would add more..."flavor" to the story. I'll get back to you on that in a few chapters. ;)  
  
PeachyKeen: Hey, now, this is MY story, and as long as you're reading MY fanfic there will be no ball-throwing, you hear me young lady? lol. J/K... Poor Boss is just a little moody, and you can understand why, being so neglected by Bijou... Not that it's Bijou's fault. Not that it's Hamtaro's fault either! It's not whose fault it is that matters... it's how they work it out! heh... MAN, that was corny! -_-;  
  
lil sandy: Sorry to leave you in suspense. lol. I like doing cliffhangers...cliffhangers goooood. *grins* And Sammy, thank you for that wonderful, ehh, "news report"! It makes me feel good knowing that people are in suspense reading my stories, cause that makes me feel like I'm doin' a good job. I really am evil, aren't I? ^.^  
  
OK enough of my blabbering! Here's the final moment of true H+B in my fanfic! (I think... doi... *drools*)  
  
  
  
Chapter 5: Return to Acorn Mountain  
  
After his talk with Boss, Hamtaro had gone to explain what had happened to the other ham-hams. When they saw him coming, Oxnard ran up to him, crying, and hugged him. He talked so fast that Hamtaro could barely understand him. "Oh, Hamtaro I was so worried! What happened? Are you hurt? Ohh, I thought I'd never see you again!!" Oxnard had barely been on Hamtaro's shoulder for eight seconds, and already, Hamtaro's fur was soaked with Oxy's tears. Hamtaro walked Oxnard back to the group and said, "Everything went fine. Boss is back to normal and no, I'm not hurt. And speaking of getting hurt," Hamtaro walked toward Bijou. As he approached her, she felt nervous, as if he were trying to say that he had hurt her or something. She couldn't be more wrong.  
  
Hamtaro walked up to her, untied her ribbon from his foot, and handed it to her. "It's a little dirty, but I'm sure it'll come out," he said to her. The two of them blushed. "Bijou," Hamtaro whispered as he held out his paw. She wondered if it meant what she thought it meant. She put her paw in his and they walked together. The other hamboys laughed and thought "Looks like Hamtaro's finally figured out romance." The hams decided to return to Acorn Mountain. Hamtaro suggested they invite Boss to come along. They stopped at the clubhouse, but when Hamtaro went inside, he found Boss where he left him, asleep. He saw a few sunflower seeds on the ground beside his bed, figuring that Boss had a snack before going to sleep. What Hamtaro didn't notice was that the seeds were placed in a pattern to form the shape of a heart.  
  
Hamtaro returned to outside the clubhouse and told the ham-hams that he had found Boss asleep and left him a note telling where they were and he was allowed to come along when he woke up. They decided to let him rest and go on ahead to Acorn Mountain. But Hamtaro had another suggestion: They should check on Maxwell to see if he would want to come! So they made one final stop at the Bookstore, which was Maxwell's home. They even brought his book with them. He was feeling better, thanks to a good, long nap, and lots of water to drink. Sandy hugged Maxwell to show him how glad she was to see him. They held hands as Hamtaro and Bijou did.   
  
That reminded Hamtaro that he had wanted to ask Maxwell about what was going on, but now he figured that he didn't need to. He knew what was going on now: He liked Bijou, and judging by the way she was acting, she liked him too. But how could he be sure? Maybe she was just pretending to impress Sandy and the girls. Maybe she thought it was just a way of showing what good friends they were. Whatever it was, he knew that if he told Bijou the way he felt, maybe she would tell him how she felt, which would hopefully be the same. "Now that," he thought, "is something to ask Maxwell about."  
  
Hamtaro told Bijou that he would be back soon, and even winked at her. She blushed and put her paws over her cheeks. He walked toward Maxwell and Sandy, who were still holding hands. "Hey Max, can I talk to you for a sec?" Hamtaro said to him, "Sure, Hamtaro, what is it?" Maxwell said, turning to Hamtaro. "Um, I meant alone," Hamtaro said, blushing. Maxwell got a little nervous when he saw him blushing and swallowed hard, "Uhh... s-sure, I guess," Maxwell said nervously. He wondered if this was going to turn into something serious... he hoped not! "OK, Max, can I ask you a few questions?" Hamtaro asked him. "Sure, Hamtaro," he replied quietly.  
  
"OK, well uh, remember when I told you that Sandy liked you?" "Yeah..." Maxwell sighed contently. "Well, after I told you that, what exactly did you say to Sandy?" he asked, "Well, I asked her if what you said was true, and I just said, 'Well, Sandy, I feel the exact same way about you and I just thought you should know that.'" he said, blushing. "Then what?" Hamtaro asked, curiously "Then we just held paws and walked together, and since then... well, we still feel the same." Max said in a soft, romantic tone. "I see. So you're saying I should ask her if she feels that way, and then tell her that I feel that way?" Hamtaro said quickly and nervously, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute! You like Sandy too?" Maxwell said angrily, "Sandy? No! I was talking about Bijou!" Hamtaro said nervously.  
  
"Oh," Maxwell said, "For a minute I thought you were trying to take away my girl! Heh..." Maxwell said, putting his paw on the back of his neck. "Nah, Maxwell, I wouldn't do something like that, specially since I'd prefer Bijou anyway. Heh heh, no offense to Sandy or anything," Hamtaro said with a bead of sweat on his forehead. "I understand," Maxwell said with a sly grin. It was then that Hamtaro decided. He would tell her tonight. The sooner he told her, the sooner they would be able to be happy together... he hoped. Meanwhile, Bijou had asked similar questions to Sandy, resulting in the same advice. She was much more insecure than Hamtaro, and figured that she would tell him some other time. She couldn't risk how close they were getting so quickly, for it might not come again.  
  
When they arrived at acorn mountain, Hamtaro led Bijou away from everyone else, until they sat on the root of a tree. "OK," he thought, "This is it. I'm just gonna ask her and no matter what she says, I'm gonna tell her the truth! If she says yes, everything will be good! If she says no, she'll know how I feel and that'll be that! And maybe things will change! OK, here goes," Hamtaro took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and began to speak. "Bijou?" he said softly "Mm?" she said back, "Do you like me?" he asked, "Why, of course! Why would you ask such a silly question?" She said in her soft, sweet voice. She looked so beautiful and innocent, and though they were sitting in the shadows, she seemed to light up the whole forest with her light. This made it so hard for Hamtaro to speak. "No, I mean do you... love me?" he asked anxiously, "I... um... No. No, I'm sorry, Hamtaro, I don't. Why do you ask?" she said sadly, knowing that she hadn't been honest. "Well, it's just I--- I um, I like you, Bijou. I... love you. I love you! And I know you don't love me back, but I guess I just thought you should know. I'm sorry if you're scared, Bijou, it's just that these past two days have been---" "I love you too!" Bijou interrupted. "Heke? But you said that you didn't! What's going on? I'm so confused!" Hamtaro shook his head in frustration.  
  
Bijou silenced him by touching his paw and leaning on his shoulder. After that, neither of them said anything. They held their paws together tightly and that eventually led to a kiss. By the time they had decided to go home, it was sunset. "Oh no! Laura's usually home by now! Oh, I hope she's not too worried..." Hamtaro squeaked. This reminded the other hamsters that their owners were probably worried about them also. So they bid each other their goodbyes and ran off home as fast as they could. "It's too bad Boss never came," Hamtaro thought on his way home. Little did each of the hamsters know that Boss had actually been there. He had woken up and read the note, and by the time he got there, the first thing he saw was a kiss shared between Bijou and Hamtaro. He was the only hamster who stayed there that night.  
  
Every hamster had been lucky, because on that specific day, the children had a field trip at school, which made them stay very late. Every hamster but Bijou, that is, whose owner did not go to that school. Luckily, when Bijou got back, she hid herself in a pile of woodshavings to make Maria think that she had been taking a nap. 


	6. The Dream

A/N: I apologize for the delay, the short note, and the really short chapter! I'll try to update more often. Thanks for the reviews, all! Knowing people actually read my stories helps motivate me to write more. Knowing they LIKE them is even better! ^-^  
  
Chapter 6: The Dream  
  
To Hamtaro, it seemed like it took forever to get to sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Bijou and how happy they were when they were together. But when he finally did fall asleep, he had the strangest dream. He was wandering in what seemed like an endless black void, and he heard singing...  
  
We're so near  
And yet so far  
  
During the song, he saw Bijou standing in the distance. He saw a gorgeous moon-pale glow around her, which soon spread to the whole void, destroying all the darkness in sight. Soon, all around him was white. He looked at Bijou with a smile, but in an instant, she vanished before his very eyes. He ran to the spot where his sweetheart had stood earlier to see if anything remained, but there was nothing. He looked around, and out of nowhere came Boss, who was glowing with a deep blue. He looked very sad and cried white tears, but when they hit the ground, they turned red, as if the white floor had turned them to blood. When Boss passed him by, the blue glow spread around Hamtaro. Hamtaro suddenly became depressed also. He didn't even bother to think why, he just stood there in his blue depressive glow as it spread throughout. Bijou appeared again, but this time she also had a depressing blue glow. Boss returned and when the two of them stood together, they no longer had a blue glow, but a white glow. Hamtaro's glow was still blue. When he walked away from the two of them, he felt a sharp pain in his head. It was one of the worst headaches that could happen to such a little hamster. In the distance he saw a familiar looking brown hamster holding a book. He immediately dropped it and held out a paw. Hamtaro reached for Maxwell's paw and as soon as he touched it, his headache was gone and his glow suddenly turned a bright sunny yellow. Maxwell happily walked with him until Hamtaro tripped and fell. Maxwell's paw reached out, and when Hamtaro looked up, he saw the paws of all of the other hams reaching out toward him... even Boss and Bijou. 


	7. Beware the Cat!

A/N: Today I will make a shout-out to everyone!! But anyways, here's a quick summary of the chapter (It's much longer than the last one!) Boss is feeling jealous, but doesn't know what to do. But before he can think of what he can do, Hamtaro and Bijou are at the clubhouse already (Oh yeah, and the "wired spin ball" I was talking about was the one that everyone jumps on in the episode "Come out Bijou!"... sorry if I didn't make that clear!), but they're not alone! Who else is there? I think the title makes it pretty obvious. Oh yeah, this chapter is very suspenseful, so don't read it unless you plan on sleeping tonight... XD Anyways, here are my shout-outs:  
  
lil sandy: Hello Sammy! Um... no no no! You've got it all wrong... I may seem like an angel on ff.net, but in reality, I am... ehh, there might be young people here, so I won't go into details... WHAT?! You STILL say you're more evil than me? YOU WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE?!?!  
  
Katy-chan: Yep, Maxy's ok... and he plays a big part in, oh, the next couple of chapters or so, so you oughta like it! Along with other Maxwell fans... *turns and looks at lil sandy and sammy*  
  
AeroShamu: Don't be ridiculous, Aero, your writing is a lot better than mine!  
  
Jade Stellar: Just in case you didn't know, this is kind of a B+B fic... so if you...um...REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY...like H+B, please don't flame...heh...Don't worry, Hamtaro's dream will make sense in time.  
  
Jessie the Rabid Fangirl: Well, that's an astonishing review! I'm glad you agree with me and my reasons for writing this story. I know I might make some H+B fans upset, but I'm lucky that I've only gotten one flame yet, considering there are soooooo many H+B fans here! I also like H+B as long as it's written the right way. B+B is good too, but there aren't many writers of B+B fics, and I got really..."iffy" after seeing "Bijou's Favorite Ribbon"... What about Boss? His feelings? I waited for someone else to write about this topic, but... it took too long! So I started writing, and a few months later I posted it here on ff.net!  
  
Well here's Chapter 7! After all, you didn't just come here to read shout-outs, did ya?  
  
  
  
Chapter 7: Beware the Cat!  
  
The next morning, Boss woke up in a tree branch at Acorn Mountain. He woke up with a smile, but it became a frown when he woke up to find that no one was there. "I should've known it was a dream," Boss said with a sigh. Oddly enough, he had fallen asleep to the same dream that Hamtaro had. "I wonder if it meant anything?" Boss thought, "No, of course not. Dreams don't mean anything, they're just," Boss yawned mid-sentence, "dreams. Well, anyway, I guess it's about time I went back home. I'll bet I know who is there already anyway," Boss said, already picturing Bijou and Hamtaro holding hands and playing on the wired spin-ball. His emotions quickly changed from depression to excitement. Not happy excitement, but a bit of angry excitement. He wasn't as full as rage as when he had snapped the other day, but there was anger and jealousy inside him. He quickly began to scurry down the tree and scatter to the clubhouse as fast as he could.  
  
The chipmunks, squirrels and birds of the forest were awoken to the loud "Dobo-dobo" of Boss's feet. One chipmunk was still sleeping, but was waken by another one who began to chase it. When one of them landed into Boss's path, he gladly let it pass by. Odd, because Boss was usually easily frustrated by creatures, especially ones that weren't hamsters. The birds awoke with joy also, and began singing. Boss noticed it almost sounded like the same song he had heard in the background of his dream, but he kept running. The squirrels, however, were not happy to be woken up. They squealed and shook their fists at Boss. One of them even threw an acorn at him, which was aimed at poor Boss's noggin. Luckily, his helmet was there to protect him, but it still made loud ringing in his ears. But Boss ran on until he finally arrived at the clubhouse. Did he see Hamtaro and Bijou? He sure did! But they weren't alone...  
  
"Bijou, run! Hide! Hurry!" Hamtaro yelled. Boss could see that a cat was hunting them down. He figured that this was the perfect time to prove himself to Bijou. He would rid them of the cat and be Bijou's hero! Even Hamtaro wouldn't resist praising him, and if he didn't, he'd be revealed to be a creep. "This is my chance," he thought, "I've gotta act now!" Boss said, and ran off toward the cat. "Hey rat-breath! " Boss yelled out. When the cat turned around, Boss saw one of the most hideous sights he had ever seen in his life, which says a lot for a field hamster. One of the cat's eyes was a pale yellow, while the other was a deep, nightshade leaf green. A tooth from it's front bottom-left jaw was split in half, and the bottom-right one was missing. On one side of it's face, there were long, shiny whiskers, while on the other side were short ones, barely two inches long. There were only three claws on it's right forepaw, which oddly enough had five toes; a rare abnormality in cats. The cat had only one ear, and was missing not only clumps of hair, but also the tip of his tail. The cat was foaming at the mouth.  
  
Now Boss knew why Bijou couldn't stop staring at the cat. Something so hideous could keep you from moving. The cat entirely turned around and lept at Boss. Boss quickly built a tunnel. As the cat reached down his paw, Boss felt something on his tail. The cat had scratched off the tip of it! Strange, considering the tip of the cat's tail was missing too. Boss burrowed to the clubhouse. He saw Maxwell sleeping next to Snoozer with a book in his lap! What was Maxwell doing there? "Heke? Maxwell?! Whatcha doing here?" Boss said nervously. Maxwell stretched and yawned. "Huh? Oh, Boss, hello! See, it's a long story. Last night, I walked Sandy home, then I---" "Sorry, Maxwell, no time! Listen, I need you to look up some kind of disease that makes cats foam at the mouth, okay? And whatever you do, don't leave the clubhouse until I say otherwise! Got it?" "Um, okay Boss, but I think you should know that---" But before Maxwell could finish, Boss scurried up his newly-dug burrow.  
  
When he popped up, he saw a familiar blue ribbon on the ground, shredded. He gasped in fear until he heard "Boss! Up here!" It was Hamtaro, and Bijou was safely beside him. Boss scampered up to the branch they had sat upon and whispered to Hamtaro, "I dug a burrow to the clubhouse. When I lead the cat away, take Bijou down. I'll handle the cat, just get her out of here!" Boss said, "No, Boss! I'll take Bijou to the house, but I can't let you take the cat alone! I'm gonna fight with ya!" Hamtaro replied, "Hamtaro, we don't have time for this! Just do what I say!" And with that, Boss jumped right off of the tree, landing right on the cat's back. The cat growled so loudly and viciously that Boss's fur stood straight up. He saw Hamtaro scurry down with Bijou following. But Hamtaro crept back up. He ran up to the cat and bit it's tail. The cat screeched and turned it's head. That was when Boss noticed another detail in the cat's grungy apparel: A large bruise was on it's head. Then Boss had a plan.  
  
He shoved Hamtaro up the tree and scattered after him. "Hamtaro, I have an idea! Listen, I saw a big bluish-black thing on it's head! If you jump down and distract him, I'll crawl up his back and beat the spot down with my shovel, okay?" Boss said as quickly as he could, "But Boss, that might kill it!" Hamtaro said sadly, "We don't have any other choice, Hamtaro, I'm sorry. Now let's get crackin'!" Boss replied. Hamtaro knew he would regret this, but Boss, in his wisdom, was right. This cat would not walk away, so even if they just knocked him out for a little bit, he would just attack again after he woke up. Like Boss said, there was no other choice but to kill it. So Hamtaro hopped down to do what he was told.  
  
Hamtaro reluctantly scattered back and forth, as Boss jumped down to take care of the cat once and for all. "Guess I'm pretty lucky," Hamtaro thought, "All I have to do is distract the cat. Poor Boss has to do the dirty work! Oh, well..." Boss landed right on the cat's bruise. The cat wailed, and almost seemed sad. This made it harder for Boss to go through with it, but it was the only way for the hams to be safe. He lifted the shovel and slammed it down. With that, the cat wailed even harder and more mournfully. Boss gave him three more blows, and pretty soon, the cat fell. Boss tumbled down beside Hamtaro and the cat landed on both of them. It was one fat cat! Both could barely breathe, and soon, things went totally dark... 


	8. Hamham Gang to the Rescue!

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! Here's what I've got to say to all of yas!  
  
PeachyKeen: I'm glad you're liking this fic! Action/Adventure is cool... I guess that IS one of the genres of my story...but I'm too lazy to change it... =P Anyways, I noticed you were reviewing chapter 5. Please check out the other chapters too!  
  
Jessie the Rabid Fangirl: Yeah, I know what you mean. Cats are ONE of my fav animals... But my #1 fav would have to be WOLVES! Others are cats, dogs, bats, and not to mention hamsters! ^.^  
  
Not a lot of reviews... please review so I know you're still reading! I prefer positive reviews, but flame if you must... Anyways, enjoy the next chapter!  
  
  
  
Chapter 8: Ham-Ham gang to the rescue!  
  
Ten minutes had passed since the cat's death, but since no one had heard from Boss or Hamtaro, no one knew the cat was dead. Bijou was so worked up with concern. This was the first time she had tried to hide her tears from anyone (even though she had failed). She didn't know that Maxwell knew how Hamtaro felt the same way about her, and so she didn't want to embarass Hamtaro by dropping any hints. Little did she know, Maxwell had found out about Hamtaro's crush before she did. Bijou couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't just utter out her emotions with small tears; she had to let it all out now. She started screaming as fountains of tears flowed from her eyes. "Ohh, Hamtaro, what's taking so long? Please hurry I need to know you're okay, oh Hamtaro, waaaahh!!" she cried.  
  
Maxwell tried to calm her down, but was, of course, unsuccessful. "There, there, Bijou--- ahh, he'll be all right, he's probably just now finishing off that mangy---" "But what if he's not?! What if he's gone forever? It's your fault, Maxwell!" Bijou angrily interrupted, "Me? What'd I do?" Maxwell began to sweat. Aside from the recent events between her and Hamtaro, no one had ever seen Bijou get this mad at any of the hams before. "Well, why were you here with Snoozer?" "'It's a long story, see, I had to spend the night here, because---" "Exactly! You were the one who spent the night here, and so you must have been the one that the cat had tracked down here, and that's why it's your fault that Hamtaro could be dead right now!" Bijou stormed. Maxwell could see the fury in Bijou's eyes. He had never seen her this mad before, not even when Hamtaro had been playing with her ribbon. "But Bijou, Snoozer was here too! He's always here! And besides, domestic felines rarely track down their prey by using their sense of smell---" "Oooh! Cut the booksmart crap, Maxwell! I've had it with you and your know-it-all attitude!" Bijou interrupted.  
  
"Bijou, why are you talking like this? I'm worried about Hamtaro and Boss too, but stressing yourself out about it is only going to make things worse!" "YOU SMELL, MAXWELL! You don't have to have a dog's nose to smell your horrible stench!" Bijou screamed at the top of her lungs. Maxwell felt most insulted by this statement, which you can probably understand why. "Bijou, there's no need to get insultry here!" Maxwell said, with a hint of anger in his voice. But Bijou's comment made Maxwell decide to take a little sniff. "Hiff-hiff... Hiff-hiff-hiff... Hey, something does smell, uh, odd! Hiff-hiff..." "There! You admit it!" Bijou said and folded her arms, "No, Bijou, it's not me! It's...hiff-hiff..." Then both of them turned and looked at each other, then looked at Snoozer. Snoozer knew just what they were thinking and why they were looking at him.  
  
"Zu zu... It's... Not me... Zu zu zu... Perhaps... what you think... is the cause of the problem... is really... the solution!... Zu..." Snoozer said in his soft, gentle voice. Bijou was confused by this. What did Snoozer mean? How could the wretched stink possibly be a solution to the trouble that her true love, Hamtaro, was in? Maxwell was also puzzled at first, but soon figured out Snoozer's clue. "That's it!" Maxwell squealed in such a high voice that you may have thought it wasn't Maxwell at all who had said it, but Bijou. Maybe. "What? What's it, Maxwell?" Bijou asked, curious to what had caused that shocking voice. "Of course! It's so simple! How could I have missed it? Come on, Bijou, follow me!" Maxwell said, and with that he took off through Boss's tunnel. Bijou wanted so badly to be let in on what Maxwell was thinking, but figured that the only way to find out was to follow him. So she dashed up the tunnel as well.  
  
When Maxwell peeked out of the hole, he saw what he thought he would see. "See, Bijou? The stench wasn't one of the ham-hams, it was the smell of the dead cat's body!" Maxwell stated with a proud smirk on his face. But his proud smirk soon turned into a horrified look, for just underneath the cat was the body of none other than Hamtaro. Maxwell swallowed hard. "Uh... Bijou?" Maxwell said and tapped her on the shoulder. Then he pointed to Hamtaro. Bijou screamed and ran over to him. Maxwell followed. Bijou felt Hamtaro's forehead. It was very warm and he looked ghostly pale. Maxwell came up behind her and looked around. "Hey, where's Boss?" he asked, "He must have gone to look for help," Bijou said, "Well, we may as well get Hamtaro inside for now. We'll have to look for Boss later," Maxwell said.  
  
Just then, Stan and Sandy appeared in the distance. Stan had walked Sandy to the clubhouse since Maxwell had spent the night there. "Hey, like, what's going on?" Sandy asked, "Oh my god, it's a cat!" Stan said, "Well, what are you standing there for? Run!" he exclaimed, "Don't worry, it's dead," Maxwell said. He explained what had happened that morning and asked if Stan and Sandy could help. They were glad to. The three of them quickly got Hamtaro inside and placed him in Boss's bed. Not long after, more and more Ham-Hams began to show up. All but one showed up...who? Little did any of them know, Boss was under the cat also, just harder to spot. How was he going to make it out? 


	9. Boss's Rescue

A/N: GIVE ME MORE REVIEWS!! I really wanna know what you guys are thinkin'!  
  
Jade Stellar: You should be seeing a little bit of T/L in the next couple of chapters. I apologize for leaving Laura, Kana, Travis and the other humans out of the story so much... I'm trying to work on that.  
  
Hamtaro Zero: I'm glad you like my story... and I hate to let you down, but this story is more along the lines of B+B. Hope you keep reading, though.  
  
PeachyKeen: I knew someone would say something like that. LOL  
  
  
Chapter 9: Boss's Rescue  
  
Hamtaro yawned and stretched as he awoke in Boss's bed. His eyes and whiskers drooped until he noticed where he was. "Where...am I?" he thought, "I know this place, but... I don't remember where it is. What's going on?" Hamtaro kept pondering his location. He knew this place, but he just couldn't remember exactly where it was. It was like when you visit a place in a dream; you remember being there before, but you don't remember what that place was. Then Hamtaro turned to the pictures on the wall. He saw one of Bijou. "Who is she? I've seen her before..." Hamtaro glanced at the picture carefully and noticed the words "Bijou, my true love" under the photo. He figured that was her name. Just then, he heard a creak from the door.  
  
In walked Maxwell with a book in his paw that had a shimmering pink bookmark sticking out. Sandy had given him this; she had made it from her first ribbon. Right away, Hamtaro recognized the brown hamster with the book...if only he could remember what his name was? "Oh, good, you're alive---err, uh, I mean awake!" Maxwell said. He walked up to the bed and began to talk to the confused Hamtaro. "How do you feel? Are you in pain?" he asked, "Pain? Uh... No, I don't think so, who are you?" Hamtaro said slowly. Maxwell froze. Hamtaro didn't even know the name of one of the hams who had saved his life? Was this some kind of game? "I...I'm Maxwell, remember?" It was then that Maxwell suddenly found out that Hamtaro had amnesia. He had read about it one time. He opened his book and decided to look it up again for more details. "Let's see... Ambulance... Ammeter... Aha! Here it is! Amnesia: Loss of memory, probably caused by injury to the head or nervous system. You've got amnesia!" Maxwell exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, well then, uh, thank you for the am-neezey-uh, Maxwell!" Hamtaro said, not knowing of anything else to say. It was a wonder that he could remember how to speak. Maxwell was surprised by this statement. "But I didn't give you amnesia, Ham---" Maxwell's words stopped stone cold. He decided to see how much Hamtaro could remember. "Do you remember my name?" he asked. "Of course I do! It's Maxwell!" Hamtaro said cheerfully. "Good job, Hamtaro! Now then, what's your name?" Maxwell asked, "Hamtaro! Oopaaa!!" Hamtaro yelled as he hopped out of Boss's bed. "Great! You remember a lot of things!" Maxwell exclaimed. He had a wide grin on his face, thinking that he did a great job helping Hamtaro out. Maybe he would finally get a little appreciation! "Of course I remember! You just told me!" Hamtaro said, still as cheerful as can be. Maxwell's whiskers drooped in dissappointment. "Hamtaro's remembering what just happened better than I am--- maybe I have amnesia!" he thought.  
  
Before Maxwell could ask Hamtaro another question, in walked Bijou. Her eyes filled with tears. When she saw Hamtaro, alive and standing on two paws, they soon turned to tears of joy. She shouted his name as she bounded toward him and held him tight. Hamtaro's shoulder became soggy in seconds. "Oh, Hamtaro, I was so worried! I thought I'd never see you again!" Bijou bursted out with happiness. Maxwell motioned for Bijou to come to the corner of the room with him. He whispered so that Hamtaro could not hear their conversation. "Bijou, there's something you should know about Hamtaro," Maxwell started out. "What, what is it? And why are we whispering?" Bijou said, "Hamtaro has amnesia, which means he can't remember anything, so don't feel bad if he forgets your name. He forgot mine, and even his own, so if he forgets yours, it's not because he doesn't love you or anything, okay? I mean, after all---" "'Not because he doesn't love me'? Of course it's because he doesn't love me!" Bijou said out loud.  
  
"Bijou, shh! Don't let Hamtaro hear you, he might get too confused!" Maxwell said softly, "Let him get confused! I should have known he'd never understand how I feel... I won't stand for this anymore!" And with that, Bijou marched right up to Hamtaro and looked him straight in the eye, angrily, and said sternly "Hamtaro, who am I? What is my name?" Hamtaro was a bit confused. A minute ago, she was happy to see him, but now she looked pretty mad. Hamtaro swallowed hard and spoke. "Bi..." This surprised Bijou. He had gotten the first part right. Would he remember? Maybe... "Bijou... m-my true love." Hamtaro nervously uttered. Bijou was shocked. "What did you say, Hamtaro?" she asked softly. "Bijou! My true love!" Hamtaro yelled. He was trembling, wondering what she might do to him. A tear then trickled down Bijou's cheek. "Hamtaro! Hamtaro, I love you!" she cried at the top of her lungs. The hams outside Boss's room could hear her, but didn't understand what she said. They thought she might be in trouble, so they busted open the door to see Bijou kissing Hamtaro and Maxwell, sitting in the corner, hiding behind his book.  
  
Penelope pulled off Pashmina's scarf and covered her eyes with it. She was young and wasn't into romance yet. Stan looked a bit uneasy, but not upset. He liked Bijou too, but Pashmina was still ripe for the pickin'! Sandy was happy too, but she was also a bit concerned for Maxwell. She walked over to him to make sure he was okay, and blushed at the sight of the pink bookmark she had made for him. Pashmina was so happy that she had tears in her eyes. She didn't even notice Dexter right next to her with his paw on her shoulder. Howdy didn't even care, he was too angry watching Dexter score with Pashmina. Bijou stopped and blushed with a wink. Hamtaro was confused! What did Bijou just do? What was that awkward position in which their little hamster lips were in?  
  
Meanwhile, one ham was very late. He couldn't get out until later because his owners had slept in late, and if he left before they did, what would happen if they decided to check on their hamster before they left? The clubhouse would have a chance of being discovered by humans, that's what! So he quickly scurried across the route he took to the clubhouse from his home. But the creatures in the trees and such did not hear a "badda-badda" noise, but a "cappy-cappy" noise. The late ham was none other than Cappy! He scurried as fast as he could. He didn't want the hams to worry about him. After all, he was the smallest of the group (excluding Penelope, of course). Cappy stopped at the sight of the mangiest, ugliest, worst-smelling cats he could ever wish to meet. It was just laying there, motionless, but it's eye was on Cappy, which made Cappy very afraid. He ran right past it and scurried up the tree. "Cappy-cappy, cappy-cappy," went his paws.  
  
When Cappy reached a high-enough branch, he stopped, exhausted. He was panting and panting. "Whoa... That's one smelly cat! I almost don't even wanna breathe!" he said to himself out loud. He then realized a horrible mistake that he had just made: he insulted a cat that was only feet away from him. He swallowed hard and looked down. Surprisingly, the cat was in the exact same position. It's eye no longer looked at Cappy, but toward the path that he had walked down, which was where he caught first glance at the cat. "Huh? Why isn't it moving?" Cappy said to himself. "I don't like this... I wanna go home!" Cappy said. His eyes filled with tears, but he suddenly shook them off after thinking, "What am I doing? This isn't what a field hamster would do. What would Boss do if he were here? I'll do it! For Boss!"  
  
Cappy bravely charged down the tree, but by the time he got down there, the smell was so strong that he could hardly breathe. "Eww! I can't go there, I'll suffocate!" Cappy thought, "For Boss..." he thought again. He took a deep breath and held it as he approached the cat. Then he suddenly heard deep, spooky moans. "Ahh! It's alive!" Cappy screeched. He turned to run, but when he heard the moans again, they sounded almost familiar. "That voice..." he thought, "I know that voice..." Cappy bravely marched closer and closer to the cat until something crawled out from underneath it. It was a hamster. A big hamster. He was very tired and weak, though. He was lucky to have the strength to get up, so it was a miracle that he could get himself out from underneath that cat! "Boss!" Cappy blurted out with a gasp. He soon regretted it. The smell of the cat was so awful. He wanted to step back away from the hideous stench, but he knew that if he were in Boss's place, Boss would have gladly lent a helping paw. So Cappy took Boss's hand, dragged him out from underneath the cat, and helped him stand up... a little.  
  
"Where...where am I?" Boss asked. "Huh? Cappy! What are you doing here? Oh no! Is Bijou safe? Did she go down the tunnel like I told her to?" Boss panicked. It was pretty obvious that he didn't have amnesia! "I don't know what you're talking about Boss, but we'd better get you into the clubhouse! That filfthy cat is full of germs! Icck!!" Cappy exclaimed. "But I have to know if Bijou's alright!" Boss exclaimed, "She's probably in the clubhouse! Let's go!" Cappy exclaimed. Boss sighed. "You're... probably right, Cappy. We better get a move on." Boss said in a gentle tone. Cappy was surprised to hear this tone. He had never heard it before. Perhaps it was because Boss was a bit weakened. Or maybe all of those germs went to his throat and made it sore. "Oh well," Cappy thought. The two of them walked inside to see many hams gathering at the door of his room. "What's goin' on here?!" Boss yelled. 


	10. Boss's Bath

A/N: Lil Sandy, thanks a lot for that review! It's about time I got another one! And I'm glad that you're getting into B+B a little more...we B+B people need more fans. -_-; I like H+B too, but I just prefer B+B. Oh yeah, there's just a *tiny* hint of Cappy+Penelope in this chapter, just so you know!  
  
Okay... I'm gonna say this one more time...  
  
PLEASE R/R!!  
  
I'm really sorry if I sound pushy, but I've been waiting for reviews for awhile!! If I don't get at least three reviews for each chapter, I won't post the next one. You guys haven't lost interest, have ya? ;_; OK, well on with chapter ten! Boss fans, I'll give you a fair warning... Even though I LOVE Boss, and he's one of my favs, this chapter is a cliffhanger and is pretty sad... so don't be too upset! Okay here goes, and remember, Kaolla loves REVIEWS!! ^_^  
Chapter 10: Boss's Bath  
  
Boss was shocked to see so many hams crowding the doorway to his room. Many thoughts filled his head: "Is Bijou in there? Is she alright? Oh no, is she sick? Is she even alive?" Boss couldn't take the suspense anymore. He weakly tried to charge through the hams, but he was obviously injured in some place. But he didn't care about that. He couldn't preoccupy himself by thinking about himself; he had to get to Bijou. Then all of a sudden, he heard much coughing. He looked around and all of the hams were coughing. "Oh yeah," he thought, "I can't go see Bijou like this. Not only do I look all grimy and filfthy, but I'm covered with germs. If Bijou's sick or hurt, and I spread those germs to her, I'll only make things worse. Hmm... I'll need a bath." Boss was very deep in thought about this. He was worried about Bijou. As worried as he was and as much as he wanted to see her and know she was safe, he had to clean himself up first. "Okay, listen up, hams!" Boss said, almost sounding like a military leader of some sort. "I don't wanna get Bi--- err, uh, I mean, anybody, sick. So I'm gonna have to take a bath, so you guys just stay out of the bathroom for a while, okay?" Boss clarified.  
  
"WHOOOO-EEEE! Yer gonna need a lot more than soap to wash off that nasta stench!" Howdy exclaimed. "What my unsophisticated hammo, here, is trying to say is that you may need a stronger formula than what you normally use, Boss, sir." Dexter said. "I know!" Pashmina exclaimed joyfully. She took off her scarf and revealed a small pocket on the inside. From the pocket she pulled out a tiny bottle filled with pink liquid. She handed it to Boss. "I don't know how much it will take, but it should work." Pashmina left Boss almost speechless. Why was she suddenly being so kind to him? Pashmina was nice and everything, but... he had never noticed her being this kind to him in particular. "Oh well," he thought, "I'd better go get this bath thing overwith."  
  
"Uh, thanks, Pashmina," Boss said, and then walked to the bathroom (IS there a bathroom in the clubhouse? -_-;). When he got there, he noticed his helmet was gone. "Damn...must still be under that cat," Boss said to himself. "Ah, I'll just get it later. I need to get myself clean so I can see Bijou again!" Boss began to fill the tub with hot water and poured in a few drops of Pashmina's formula, then set it on the soapdish in his reach, should he need more of it. "Ahh... It's good to have a place where you can just relax in privacy," Boss said to himself, stepping into his bath. He slipped himself into the water, almost as if he were about to fall asleep there. "But what was that about? Pashmina was awfully nice to me... No one else is that excited about being kind to me. Could it be that Pashmina likes me? No... that can't be... She likes Dexter, of course. Plus, Hamtaro often gets excited to do nice things for me... And for everyone else, for that matter. Yeah, that's right... Hamtaro is nice to everyone. He deserves Bijou more than I do, I guess. And he DOES seem to make Bijou happier than I do... I guess he just has something that I don't. But then what about when we went to the museum? I saved her life. She said that Perci-whatever his name was reminded her of me because of that. But of course, Hamtaro was the one who caught her. If not for him, I would have tossed her to a splattery death..." Boss cringed at the thought of Bijou dying.  
  
"Of course. She likes Hamtaro, not me. What could have caused me to think otherwise? Am I really that dense? Maybe I should talk this out with Hamtaro. I was foolish to get so upset at him. After all, it's not his fault that my feelings for Bijou are unrequited and his aren't. And maybe I should tell Bijou how I feel. Yeah, she should know why I got so angry at Hamtaro the other day..."  
  
"OH NO!"  
  
Boss leapt out of the water with a splash. "I have to go make sure Bijou's all right!" With that, Boss immediately shook the water out of his fur, kushi-kushied out the tangles, and headed downstairs...  
  
During all this, the ham-hams were having a discussion, except Cappy, who had also noticed Boss's helmet was missing and had gone outside to get it. "Phew... That was close!" Panda said, "Yeah, like, I don't know what would have happened if Boss saw Hamtaro kissing Bijou!" Sandy said, "Well, technically, it was Bijou who was doin' the kissing, but either way, Boss would have blown his stack!" Stan corrected. Meanwhile, Dexter attempted to start a conversation with Pashmina. "What exactly was that concoction, Pashmina?" Dexter asked politely, "Well, when Penelope plays, sometimes she gets really dirty, and so does her blanket. So I use this to wash both, because she can stumble upon some pretty nasty stuff. I made it myself too!" Pashmina explained, "Ah, I see. So what's in it?" Dexter asked, "Sorry, that's a secret!" Pashmina said, blushing a bit. Dexter fell over in an anime-style. Howdy snickered and walked a bit closer next to Pashmina.  
  
"Come to think of it, Hamtaro didn't look as happy as Bijou did when she kissed him," Maxwell said, "Aw, he was probably just nervous," Sandy said, "After all, it took him THIS long just to figure out what romance was!" In Boss's room, Bijou became excited and softly spoke to Hamtaro, "Hamtaro, will you be my boyham?" Bijou asked, "Wha? I thought I already was a boyham!" Hamtaro said in confusion. Bijou giggled. "No, silly, I mean it would be like dating." "Heke? Dating?" Hamtaro said. He still hadn't quite gotten his memory back yet. "You said I was your true love, right?" Bijou asked, a bit dissapointed. "Yeah," Hamtaro said, "Well, that's what true lovers do. They date." She looked at Hamtaro with a soft smile. Hamtaro was still confused, and thought about this deeply. "Hmm... The picture on the wall DID say she was my true love," he thought, "So, I guess that makes her my true lover and me her true lover. And... if that's what true lovers do, then..." Hamtaro swallowed hard.  
  
"I will go out with you, my true lover" Hamtaro said. Bijou was so overjoyed at this she began to cry and held Hamtaro tight. The ham girls giggled at his sweet remark. They thought he was trying to be romantic and make Bijou happy. But the truth was he was very uncomfortable with Bijou hugging him so tightly. What was going on? Was she trying to hurt him or something? Seeing her outburst at him earlier when she asked if he knew her name, he was afraid to ask her any more questions. But who could he ask?  
  
Then he suddenly remembered things. His memory came back like a flash, and he had realized what he had just done. He remembered everything...almost. He remembered getting close to Bijou like this before, but he didn't remember why. Right now he just felt uncomfortable. He liked that Bijou was happy, but he just felt like something wasn't right here. Could it be that he had...lost his feelings for Bijou? Then, all of a sudden, at the worst time possible, he saw a familiar face pushing through the hams with a familiar voice saying "Uhh... Scuse me... Emergency! Coming through! Excu--" and being cut off by the sight of Bijou's arms wrapped around Hamtaro. Then another thing hit Hamtaro that he had forgotten BEFORE he had his amnesia... Boss liked Bijou. "Oh duh, that's right! How could I forget?! That's why he was so mad... That's why he said I took his happiness away... Because I took Bijou away..." he thought.  
  
Boss's ears, whiskers, and eyebrows drooped in sorrow. This was all the proof in the world. Hamtaro and Bijou liked each other and all of the other hams obviously supported them. Hamtaro was brave and told Bijou how he felt, even though she pretended like she didn't feel the same. Maybe if Boss had told her how he felt earlier, she would be holding him instead of Hamtaro, and she would have never held Hamtaro's hand or kissed him or anything like that, and so Hamtaro wouldn't like her. "This is my own fault..." Boss thought aloud, "For being such a coward."  
  
"Boss!" Hamtaro squeaked. Tears formed in Boss's eyes, but he didn't utter another sound. He just turned and left. "Wait, Boss! You forgot---" Before Cappy could finish, Boss had left the clubhouse and started up the tunnel. "...your helmet..." Cappy finished. Tears began to form in Cappy's eyes too. Boss meant a lot to him. He was like a relative, like a close uncle. Or maybe more than that... Maybe even like a father. "Ookwee?" Penelope said softly, walking up to Cappy. "What...what if he... doesn't come b-back?" Cappy said, with tears falling. Penelope sniffed. "Ookwee..." she said weakly, almost as if she were going to cry also. Outside, it was still daytime, but it was cloudy and dark. Boss began to dobo-dobo through the forest, having no idea where he was going. It didn't matter to him, though.  
A/N: Dun dun dun...what WILL happen to poor Boss? You'll only find out if you review!! I'm so mean, I know... heh... But seriously, I like to know what you think about what's going on! Like when you guys thought Sandy overreacted when Maxwell was sick? I like to know what you're thinking! Even if the review is as simple as "Good/Fair/Not so good... Write more", I still really appreciate it! OK I will calm down now... 


	11. Bijou's Wavering Heart and Hamtaro Torn ...

A/N: Well, I did get my requested three reviews... so I guess I'll be updating now. Ah, well, I'm sure you've heard enough of my whining and begging for reviews... So here's what I've got to say to y'all:  
  
Light Sneasel: Yeah, Boss is gonna be deep in self-defeat for the next few chapters unfortunately... But the story WILL have a happy ending. ^_^ But I should shut up now before I spoil anything...  
  
Jade Stellar: I am the same way... only backwards. I like H+B, but I really prefer B+B. And don't worry, I'm serious this time when I say there's gonna be T+L soon... Chapter 13 to be exact. But remember, I don't update unless I get enough reviews! ^^; (I'm the one being annoying by asking for reviews. lol)  
  
Quistis: Wow! I'm really glad you like this story. I'm putting in what I can to make it seem as logical and realistic as possible... I don't like fics that have people acting all out-of-character, so I try hard not to make it seem like they're doing something they normally wouldn't do... Anyways, you should register for a fanfiction.net account! Oh, and I don't mind if you read other Hamtaro fanfics... I just don't want anyone to forget about mine! Heh... Sorry for the long delay. Ya know... school and whatnot....  
  
OK! Here goes!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know by now that I don't own Hamtaro, but I also don't own the song "Dreams" by Gabrielle... that's what Snoozer is saying in his sleep. ~.^  
  
Chapter 11: Bijou's Wavering Heart and Hamtaro Torn into Pieces  
  
Back in the clubhouse, Cappy and Penelope weren't the only ones crying. Hamtaro had cried too. His mind was a tangle of questions. What was he going to do? Would he ever see Boss again? And how was he going to break it to Bijou that he didn't feel the same about her anymore? "Love is so annoying," he thought, "Why can't we just go back to being our old, cheerful playful group of hams? Are those days gone now?"  
  
All was silent. The other hams were confused. Bijou had missed all of this, she had fallen asleep right in Hamtaro's arms. It was then that Oxnard remembered his first day with Hamtaro and Boss. Boss had told them that he liked Bijou. Now Oxnard understood what was going on. Cappy also knew about Boss's crush. Cappy spent so much time around Boss that he couldn't help but noticed how he'd blush whenever he first heard Bijou's voice each day, and how he would always complement her whenever she had come up with an idea. Then, everyone heard a familiar snoring sound and turned to see where it was coming from.  
  
"Zu...zu...zu...dreams...can come true..." Snoozer said wearily, "You've got to...be...strong...zu..." "Heke?" the hams said, "Do you hear....zu... what I'm...saying...how I...zu...feel..." Snoozer said. All of the other hams began to chat, pondering what Snoozer meant. Cappy began to think to himself. "Dreams can come true... Say how I feel... That must be it!"  
  
"Well, I think he means that Bijou and Hamtaro have been dreaming about being together without Boss in the way, and because they told each other how they felt, the dream came true!" Stan said.  
  
"No, no, that wouldn't be fair to Boss! You can't have a happy ending knowing that Boss is sad and alone out there," Dexter said.  
  
"Aw, who cares anyway? Boss was just mean and bossy! That's prolly why he was named Boss!" Howdy exclaimed, rudely.  
  
"Howdy, how can you say such a terrible thing?" Pashmina said distressfully.  
  
"That's right! If it weren't for Boss, we wouldn't have our friends, our food, this clubhouse..." Dexter said furiously.  
  
"Ookwee!" Penelope said angrily. Howdy sweatdropped. All of the hams started arguing. Cappy couldn't stand it. He jumped over to the hams and yelled "SHUT UP!!!!!" at the top of his little hamster lungs.  
  
The hams were shocked at this. Cappy... just said 'shut up?' That wasn't like him. This must have been something big. "You're wrong, all of you! Snoozer said dreams can come true, but you have to be strong! And you have to say how you feel! So Boss's gotta say how he feels to Bijou, even if it's hard!" Cappy yelled. This made Hamtaro think a little bit. Boss had to say how he felt, even if it would make Bijou feel tied up between Boss and himself? So... did that mean that he had to tell Bijou about how he didn't feel the same way about her anymore? "No..." he thought, "What am I thinking? Of course I feel the same way about Bijou. I'm still in love with her...right? I still feel those feelings! I do!" Hamtaro tried to convince himself to feel the same, but it was no use. He cared very much for Bijou, even if he wasn't in love with her, and he knew that telling her his true feelings would break her heart. But if he didn't tell her...what would happen to Boss?  
  
"Bijou is in love with me, even though I'm not in love with her, and she's not in love with Boss, even though he's in love with her! Wait... no, that's not right... I AM in love with Bijou! I AM! But... then why was I so uncomfortable when she kissed me? And when she held me? I remember... back at acorn mountain... We held hands... I confessed to her... we kissed..." Hamtaro left Bijou on Boss's bed, moving slowly hoping he wouldn't wake her and walked over to his mirror, just as he had the morning Laura's alarm hadn't gone off. He wasn't blushing or anything, and he hadn't noticed himself giggling like he did last time. Did the knock-out make him forget his feelings? No... He remembered his feelings alright. He remembered hardly going a minute without thinking about Bijou and all the time they spent together. Thinking about that gave him a warm, happy feeling. Holding Bijou's hand... Kissing her... That gave him a soft, loving feeling. The other boy-hams told him that was the feeling they got when they were in love. Hamtaro was so happy, finally understanding what the girls would be talking about all the time.  
  
"I still understand romance, but... why does it make me uncomfortable? I don't understand... Well, over the past few days, Maxwell's been helping me a lot. He seems to know a LOT about romance. I guess it's from reading so much... That's it! I'll just get Maxwell to find some more stuff on romance, and maybe he can look up some way for me to find my feelings again! Yeah! Then I'll be back to normal!" Hamtaro thought to himself deeply. He got up and walked over to Maxwell. Along the walk, he heard various hams' voices ringing out. They uttered quiet gasps and comments such as "He's walking!" "Is he okay?" "Uh-oh, does he need some help?" Then Hamtaro remembered that they didn't know he had been cured of his amnesia yet. He wouldn't tell them, because then they would cheer, and that might wake Bijou up, and the last person he wanted to consort with was Bijou. Not that he was angry at her or anything, but he couldn't talk to her right now with so much on his mind. He couldn't tell her more lies to make her feel better, because that would not only mislead her about his feelings, but dig his ditch of troubles deeper. But he couldn't tell her the truth about how he was feeling either, because she had gotten so upset at him just for not remembering her name--- when he had AMNESIA! ---and if he told her something like this, she would just be totally crushed. She might have run away like Boss did, or maybe something worse...  
  
Hamtaro stood before Maxwell and spoke slowly and clearly in order to make them think he still had amnesia. "Ahem... Max, may I speak to you alone for awhile?" he said. Maxwell was surprised to hear Hamtaro call him Max. After all, since he had amnesia, it wasn't expected of him to remember Maxwell's nickname. Did he just think it up all over again? Or maybe his memory's starting to come back?  
  
"Uh, sure, Hamtaro. Just follow me. Here, take my hand." Maxwell said, handing out a paw. Hamtaro took it and Maxwell guided him outside, somewhere where no one inside could hear them and where they couldn't smell the horrible cat, still outside the clubhouse. "Now then, what's going on, Hamtaro? How are you feeling?" Maxwell asked softly.  
  
"Um..." Hamtaro began, "Something bothering you, Hamtaro? Whatever it is, you can tell me. Go ahead." 


	12. Hamtaro's NonLove Confession

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, all!  
  
Light Sneasel: Hamtaro's really confused about his feelings... He doesn't know whether exactly he loves her or not? We'll just have to wait and see. ~_^ We'll check back on Boss by about Chapter 14.  
  
sockpuppetbug: Well, I'm glad you reviewed! I'm in desparate need of reviews right now. heh... By the way, Maxy gives Hamtaro a big helping hand in this chapter too. (Good boy, Max!)  
  
Jade Stellar: That's right! The long awaited T/L goodness is on it's way! ^_^ Bijou won't show up until later in the story, though, so there isn't much B+B-ness until the end.  
Chapter 12: Hamtaro's "Non-Love" Confession  
  
Tears ran down Hamtaro's cheeks. It wasn't easy to say what he had just said, and Maxwell knew it as well as he did. "It's alright, Hamtaro, don't cry." Maxwell said gently, "We'll figure this out somehow, I know we will,"  
  
"But Maxwell, how? How can I tell Bijou--- or anyone else, for that matter--- my true feelings? If I do, it's only gonna hurt someone. I don't get it, Maxwell. It's like it was just yesterday that Bijou and I were sitting together, so happy and so carefree...wait a sec, that WAS yesterday..." Hamtaro said in a sad, high-pitched voice. Maxwell knew about this.  
  
"I understand, Hamtaro. I can imagine how hard the pain must be. And not just for you, but for Boss and Bijou as well. I've read all about this in those romance novels Sandy picks out." Maxwell said.  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro said, sounding just a tad more curious than sad.  
  
"Well, you see, sometimes I would take her to the local ham bookstore (a/n: do hamsters have bookstores? Oh well...) and we would look through the romance section. When she saw one with a cover she liked, I would read the summary of the story on the back of the book to her, and if she liked the sound of it, I would buy it and read it to her." Maxwell said, blushing a bit. Hamtaro tilted his head and squinted his eyes. Not in confusion, but more in an expression that said "Aww, how sweet!" (proof that he didn't forget what romance was.) "Ahem... So anyway, I see what you're saying. On one hand, you can go out with Bijou and even though it makes you a bit uncomfortable, but you know you're making Bijou happy and you don't want to let her down. But it will also upset Boss because he has loved Bijou since before he knew you or any of the other hams. On the other hand, you can say how you feel and Bijou will be upset and considering her recent outbursts, there's no telling what she might do... then Boss will be glad that you don't like Bijou anymore, but Bijou STILL doesn't love him and if she does something drastic... who knows what Boss will do? And not to mention that Bijou just... um... I'm not helping, am I?" Maxwell said with a shy grin (No, that's not a typo. I meant shy, not sly.). Hamtaro had a sweatdrop on the back of his head, which was the reason Maxwell decided to stop where he was.  
  
"Oh... N-no, Maxwell, everything's fine. Go ahead!"  
  
"Aha!" Maxwell exclaimed. Hamtaro jumped. He wasn't scared, but he didn't expect Maxwell to utter that sudden expression.  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro said. What did Maxwell mean by "aha"?  
  
"There's your problem, Hamtaro!" Maxwell said.  
  
"What's my problem? I missed something again..." Hamtaro said with a sweatdrop.  
  
"It's okay, Hamtaro. What your problem is is that I said that I wasn't helping, but you said everything was fine... but everything WASN'T fine, was it?" Maxwell said with a grin. Hamtaro shook his head slowly. Was Maxwell up to something? "That's it, Hamtaro. You're not being honest about your feelings. I think you should tell Bijou how you feel."  
  
"How I feel? But if I tell her the truth, she'll---"  
  
"Bijou is a good girl, Hamtaro. She may be upset with you at first, but that's just because she's having a tough time too, just like you are. I mean, first there was the Blind Man's Bluff incident; I don't think it was that big a deal that you didn't recognize her ribbon, but obviously she did. Then she was so worried when you and Boss were out there fighting off that cat. I mean, really worried. She was screaming angrily and crying at the same time, you know? She may be upset with you at first but eventually she WILL forgive you. Time can do a lot of good, Hamtaro." Maxwell slowly explained, hoping Hamtaro would grasp all of this. Hamtaro didn't quite understand. After all, this was his first infatuation. Could a simple blow on the head from a cat really destroy love? No, that couldn't be... Love conquers all...right?  
  
"I just don't understand, Maxwell," Hamtaro began, almost crying. "Does this mean that the amnesia made me forget my feelings or something?" Hamtaro said sadly, "No... No, that can't be... I remember feeling that way, but... I just don't... feel it anymore. What's happening, Maxwell?" Hamtaro said shaking his head, "I don't think I'll ever figure this romance stuff out," Hamtaro continued.  
  
"Well, I don't think it necessarily means that you forgot how you felt. I mean, you DO remember, right?" Maxwell asked, a bit confused as well.  
  
"Yeah, of course I do!" Hamtaro said.  
  
"OK, so tell me, what was it like when you were in love with Bijou?" Maxwell asked. Hamtaro thought about this for a minute. When he and Bijou were in love, it was such a wonderful feeling... how could he possibly describe it? "Well," he began, swallowing hard, "It was like... like nothing could possibly go wrong. All I wanted was just to sit there and be with her. She looked so... perfect. Almost like an angel... but now it's just totally different and I don't know why! Why, Maxwell? I want things to go back to the way they were! I want to be in love! In love with Bijou! Oh, Maxwell, why did this have to happen?!" Hamtaro started to cry after describing his good times with Bijou. Maxwell looked a bit nervous at first. He had never seen Hamtaro like this before. But Maxwell went ahead and patted Hamtaro's back in comfort, resulting in Hamtaro's head resting on his shoulder.  
  
"I know, Hamtaro, I know it's hard," Maxwell said calmly, "I don't think the amnesia had anything to do with it. You obviously didn't forget your feelings. But since that blow affected your brain, it could have toyed with your emotions a bit. And plus I'll bet you were feeling a lot of stress before getting knocked out, so that could have something to do with this." Hamtaro wasn't listening.  
  
"And what about Boss? He ran away! What if something happened to him? And... It's almost time to go home! What am I gonna do, Maxwell?" Hamtaro said fearfully.  
  
"Well I---" Maxwell was cut off. "I've gotta tell the truth to Bijou! I can't let things go on like this!" Hamtaro said as he quickly ran off into the tunnel that led to the clubhouse. Maxwell followed, not knowing what else to do.  
  
As soon as Hamtaro went inside, he saw the girl-hams talking with Bijou, who had woken up. He immediately ran over to them and spoke. "Bijou! I need to talk to you alone, okay?" He said it slowly and as sternly as he could. Bijou blushed. What was this about? she wondered. He had already confessed to her, agreed to be her boyham, what else was going to happen? "Oh my, could he be proposing to me?" Bijou thought. She followed him outside to the spot where Maxwell and Hamtaro were talking earlier.  
  
"Looks like he's got his memory back," Sandy said as they walked outside, "Okay... this is it... Bijou, the truth is, everything I said before was all a lie. I don't love you and I don't wanna go out with you... Ugh, there's no way I could say that!" Hamtaro thought, "Let's see... Bijou, I don't love you and I'm sorry I mislead you... Hmmm.... That's good! Okay! Here goes..." Hamtaro took a deep breath.  
  
"Look, Bijou, about what I said before..." Hamtaro began.  
  
"Oh? About being my boyham?" Bijou said, "Wow, he must be proposing! I wonder what kind of ring I will get? But wait a minute... We haven't even been dating for an entire day! Maybe I should wait a bit?" She pondered.  
  
"Well... y'know, Bijou, I..." Bijou became a bit nervous. If he got down on one knee, what would she say? "Bijou, the truth is I... feel different now." Hamtaro said. Bijou was shocked. She was completely wrong about what was about to happen.  
  
"W-what?" Bijou stuttered.  
  
"I'm really sorry Bijou, I'm just... not in love with you anymore. I wish I was, I really do! But, I just... don't. I mean, Maxwell said earlier that---"  
  
"So you... lied?" Bijou said, tearing up very quickly.  
  
"Well, Bijou, I still had amnesia and---"  
  
"You never loved me! How could I have thought you did? Am I really that dense?!" Bijou burst out, and she quickly ran off.  
  
"Bijou, wait!" Hamtaro yelled out. No answer. She was already long gone. She could run pretty fast for such a small ham. Hamtaro tried to run after her, but kept falling. He looked down at one of his feet and noticed a deep cut. "Heke? Why didn't I notice this before? Hmm... I better put something on it." Hamtaro walked to the clubhouse, and suddenly a memory flashed through his mind. This was just like the time when Bijou had tied her ribbon to his foot to make it feel better. But she wouldn't be doing that today. "What am I doing?" he thought, "I can't just worry about my paw now, I've gotta go look for Bijou!" Hamtaro said. Before he could go, many hams came scurrying out the tunnel saying their goodbyes. It was time to go home. "I guess that's where she went," Hamtaro thought. He started to head for home, with only Bijou and Boss on his mind. 


	13. A Light in Your Darkness is a Light in M...

Thanks so much! I haven't gotten that many reviews in quite awhile... I'm glad you guys like my story so far. I finally finished writing the ENTIRE fic over the weekend! ^_^ So just in case you wanna know, there are 21 chapters total... Kind of a lot, eh? Sorry... I like writing a whole lot... ^^; Anyways...  
  
sockpuppetbug: I know whatcha mean, I'm too lazy to sign in sometimes too. XD *ahem* Glad you like it. ^_^ Writing is one of my passions and that's why I enjoy praise. hehe... Yeah unfortunately B+B has a pretty small fan base, but I'm glad to know that you're enjoying this story anyway. ^_^ I'm actually hoping that my story will attract H+B fans and perhaps get them to like B+B... Maybe not better than H+B, but still actually like it instead of shunning poor ol' Boss... (he's my fav... or is that Sandy? Or Bijou? Or Panda? ACK!! I can't deciiiiiiiiiide!!)  
  
Amaura: Thanks for checking my story out... but that was just chapter 1! There's still a looooong way to go, girl! ^_^ But go ahead and take your time. :-P  
  
vit: Okay, okay... Look, I understand if you're a strong H+B fan (which most people here at ff.net appear to be... lol), but even if you say stuff like "You better make Hamtaro and Bijou end up together," that's not gonna change how the story goes. I, like most people, enjoy a good H+B fic (keyword in that sentence is GOOD. Not something just slopped together with lots of OOC-ness and character-bashing). This IS a B+B fic and I'm trying to give Hamtaro a good role-playing too, so it doesn't end up bashing him. His relationship with Bijou is mentioned too, so I personally don't think that there's much to complain about. However, I understand if you're a total H+B fan and you really can't stand B+B-ness. So anyways, thanks for checking out my fic even though you're an H+B fan. And thanks for actually READING it too. Most people would just see the notes saying "B+B" and automatically review without bothering to read any of it and say something like "B+B sucks! H+B forever, more ppl like it anyways so just make it an H+B fic!!" You didn't do that. You actually took the time to read the story. But you didn't like it... That's okay. Not everyone has to like my fic. Now, then... ::takes AK-47:: I don't think taking all this out on poor Boss is really necessary, do you? ::pats head::  
  
Light Sneasel: Well, so far, you seem to be the only one who's continued to read AND review my fic so far! Thanks a bunch! ^_^ Yeah, Hamtaro, Boss, and Bijou are all having a pretty rough day... but the day's not over yet!! Hamtaro's day brightens up a bit in this chapter, thanks to a good report from Laura! (I reeeeeally hope you're reading this, Jade Stellar! ^_^) We'll be checking in on Boss in the next chapter...he'll be swearing a bit, so watch out. lol  
  
Now, then, the long awaited T+L-ness of Chapter 13!!  
Chapter 13: A Light in Your Darkness is a Light in Mine  
  
As Laura walked home with her best friend, she heard something familiar. "Huh?" she stopped walking.  
  
"What is it, Laura?" Kana asked.  
  
"Listen," Laura said.  
  
"Yeah, it's just that girl again. She always plays the piano, remember?" Kana reminded her.  
  
"I know, Kana, but just listen. It sounds kinda depressing today, don'tcha think?" Laura said. Kana paused to listen a bit more closely.  
  
"Hey, you're right! Like that one time when those rumors were going around about her moving back to France, remember?"  
  
"Yeah," Laura said, "I'm glad they weren't true,"  
  
"Well, I heard that she was going to move to France, but her family ended up changing their mind. But I guess that could just be a rumor too." Kana said. She and Laura giggled, until Laura saw a small orange blur rushed past her. "What's the matter now?" Kana asked.  
  
"I thought I just saw Hamtaro... I wonder if he got out of the house?" Laura said, looking a bit concerned.  
  
"Nah, Hamtaro's a good hamster. He wouldn't run away." Kana said to her friend.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right." Laura said, as the two resumed walking. But the orange blur WAS Hamtaro, who luckily arrived at home before Laura did. When she did, she said goodbye to Kana.  
  
"See ya in a few, Laura! And good luck with you-know-who!" Kana said with a wink. Laura blushed a little bit and went inside. She immediately went upstairs to make sure Hamtaro was there. Sure enough, there he was. Lucky for him Laura didn't notice how heavy he was breathing.  
  
"Hey Hamtaro, how's it going?" Laura asked.  
  
"Things aren't going too well for me, Laura." He thought to himself. "I hope it's not the same for you. Kushi-kushi..." Hamtaro kept a smile up for Laura.  
  
"Today was a great day! Maybe the best day of my life!" she said.  
  
"Well, that's good." Hamtaro thought.  
  
"Well, I'd better start packing. Talk to ya later, little guy!" Laura said cheerfully.  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro said out loud, "Packing? I've heard that word somewhere before... Oh yeah! You said that you had to start packing just before we moved! I remember now," Hamtaro thought, "Oh no! Are we moving again, Laura? B-but I can't move now! Not before I sort things out with Bijou! Oh... what if I never see her again and she thinks I hate her, and.... AHH!! I don't wanna lose all my new friends!" Hamtaro said, scattering around his cage in a frenzy. He stopped running and began gnawing on the bars of his carrier, panicking. This attracted Laura's attention.  
  
"Hey, calm down, Hamtaro! What's the matter? You restless again?" Laura said, approaching the hamster cage. Hamtaro immediately stopped in his tracks, panting. Laura opened the cage and picked her pet up. She gently stroked his head and watched his nervous whiskers twitch. "I'll bet you're hungry, is that it?" she asked, not expecting any answer.  
  
"Oh boy!" Hamtaro said. His eyes shined bright with excitement. Somehow, a little snack seemed to make everything a little bit better.  
  
"Gee, I guess I better fill your food dish before I go to sleep over at Kana's, huh?" Laura said, feeling a little ditzy of her forgetfulness.  
  
"Oh, you're just gonna sleep over? Heh! You had me worried for a sec..." Hamtaro thought. Laura opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a large bag of assorted seeds and a measuring cup.  
  
"Oh, and guess what? The coolest thing happened at school today! Remember that big field trip I've been telling you about?" Laura said, cutting open the bag.  
  
"How could I forget? You've been talking about it all week! You were goin' to a place where they grow all those cool plants and stuff, right?" Hamtaro said, grooming himself.  
  
"It was so cool! We got to go to the Museum of Agricultural Study!" Laura said, "And it turns out that our class went last year and planted some seeds, and this year they had to check on how their plants were doing," she continued, taking a potted red flower from her bag. "Heke? But you didn't go to that school last year, Laura! What'd ya do?" Hamtaro said, ceasing his grooming and tilting his head.  
  
"Things went a lot better than I thought they would!" Laura said, with an anticipated smile on her face...  
  
~**~  
  
"Mr. Yoshi, I don't have a plant. What should I do?" Laura said, looking a bit sad.  
  
"Relax, Laura. You can just plant some seeds of your own today and take them home on our next field trip, okay?" Mr. Yoshi said, hoping to calm her down.  
  
"Okay, cool! But, I've never grown a plant before..." she said, a bit reluctantly.  
  
"I can help you, Laura!" Kana volunteered after hearing the conversation between the two of them, "My plants are already potted up and ready to take home, so I've got some time on my hands," she explained.  
  
"Wow, cool! Is that alright, Mr. Yoshi?" Laura asked, brightening up.  
  
"It's fine with me. Go ahead and show Laura her seed choices, Kana." He replied. The girls walked off to a tray of various seeds that had been sorted and separated. The pile of sunflower seeds immediately caught Laura's eye.  
  
"Wow, if I planted a sunflower, I'd save a lot on food for Hamtaro!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Hey, you're right! Wish I'd thought of that last year. After all, Oxnard eats a lot of seeds, being the big boy he is." Kana said. The two of them giggled. They seemed to love talking about their hamsters, and so did the other girls in the class. The boys just didn't get what the whole hamster thing among the girls was about. None of them seemed to be very "into" the small, fuzzy creatures. It must just be a girl thing... Probably just a fad anyway, right?  
  
When the class was returning to school on the bus, everyone couldn't stop bragging about how much their new plants had grown. "I can't wait to take it home!" one girl said, "I'm gonna put mine by my window!" said another, "I hope it grows really, really tall!" another voice rang out.  
  
"What's the matter, Laura?" Kana said.  
  
"Thanks for helping me plant my sunflower, Kana, I really appreciate it. I don't mean to sound selfish, but I guess I still feel kinda sad that I don't have my own plant to take home...oh well." Laura said, sighing.  
  
"You want mine?" A familiar, deep voice said from behind. Laura turned around to see Travis with a potted red flower in his lap. "Travis!...Um... don't you like it?" She said, not wanting him to feel sorry for her.  
  
"It's nice and everything, but my mom's got serious flower allergies, so I can't keep it." Travis explained.  
  
"Oh that's too bad," Laura replied, "Yeah, I guess it woulda been kinda cool to grow a plant. So, do you want it, Laura?" He asked again.  
  
"Uh, sure." she said, feeling herself blush. As she took the plant from his hands, she didn't notice that he had been looking straight into her eyes, while she had been looking at the plant. Kana noticed, though. She'd be sure to tell her later. "Thank you. I'll take really good care of it, I promise!" Laura said, pepping up a bit.  
  
~**~  
  
"Wow! What a great love story! I guess this romance stuff isn't so confusing after all!" Hamtaro said, giggling a bit. It was a good thing that Laura was having such a good day. After Hamtaro's rotten luck with Bijou, the last thing he needed was a bad report from Laura to make him even more depressed. Laura filled Hamtaro's tray with food, set Travis's flower by the windowsill, and watered it.  
  
"Phew... I hope that thing grows. I wonder what kind of flower it is anyway? I guess I'll have to look it up when I get back from Kana's!" Laura said, as she turned to look at her clock. "Uh-oh, I'd better get going! See ya later, Hamtaro, and don't mess with that plant!" she said, walking out the door with a bag over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Laura, I'll be out today too!" Hamtaro thought. "Hmm... I guess I better find something to put on my paw, though..."  
So, how'd I do? R/R pretty pleeeeeease! I wuv reviews! =^_^= 


	14. Boss's New Life?

A/N: ACK!! Such laziness...this will not do!!  
  
Light Sneasel: Wow! That's exactly how I feel! I saw "The Scary Museum" before seeing "Bijou's Favorite Ribbon" and I have to say that "The Scary Museum" had a much better plot, in my opinion. I loved how Boss got the chance to save Bijou's life and did so. But in "Bijou's Favorite Ribbon"... I just didn't like that one. I thought it had a lousy plot and I thought it was pretty pathetic how Bijou got so upset over a ribbon. But that showed how emotional she was over Hamtaro, which explains a lot of her moody behavior in this fic... So I guess if I hadn't seen her act like that over something so simple as a ribbon, I would feel like her outbursts in this story would be way OOC. And throughout the entire episode, I couldn't help but wonder "What about Boss? He liked Bijou first, didn't he?" So I awaited a fic that actually dealed with the little "love triangle" of Hamtaro, Boss, and Bijou... But none showed up, really, so I finally decided to write my own, and here it is!  
  
sockpuppetbug: What a kawaii review! You're a great poet. I'll know who to call next time I put Jingle in one of my fics! ;)  
  
Jade Stellar: Heh... Glad you like it. And actually, I should be thanking you for nagging me about it. I had never planned to put any Travis+Laura in my story (Such insanity!! lol), and if you hadn't asked for it so much, it wouldn't be here to spice up my fic! So thanks! ^_^  
  
ZeroX: Only satisfactory? Aww... Well, I guess I can't please everyone. I bet you're an H+B fan, right?  
  
StinkerBW: Thanks! But there won't be anymore T+L until a tiny bit in the very last chapter. Yep, that's right, I'm DONE with this fic! (I think I've mentioned that already, haven't I?) I'm going to be working on a songfic to go with it soon... And in case you're wondering, this WHOLE fic is 21 chapters long. That's a lot of reading, but I hope that doesn't keep y'all from enjoying it! ^_^  
  
Oh, and one VERY important note...  
  
The indented song that Jingle sings does NOT belong to me. It's a cluster of words from "Hold On" by Good Charlotte. You'll probably recognize it when you see it. ;)  
  
Now then, here goes...  
  
Chapter 14: Boss's New Life?  
  
He had stopped running a while ago. His rough paws had grown tired after running so far so fast. "But what else was I supposed to do? After all, I had finally snapped out of my density which had made me foolishly think that anyone would like a blind, fat, ugly field hamster like me, when they could have an innocent, cute, kind guy like Hamtaro. Especially someone as classy as her...nah... If I really loved her, I wouldn't wanna make her hang around with a creep like me... I'm... such a selfish bastard." Boss said, weeping. He uttered bitter sobs, but shed no tears. His eyes were about as tired as his paws, and twice as puffy. He had cried it all out in the time he had been running. But now that the tears had slowed, what was to become of him? Where would he go? What would he do?  
  
"There's no way I could go back to the clubhouse now... not after such a scene," Boss said, picturing himself running out the clubhouse door. "If I did, they probably wouldn't let me be the leader of them anymore. They'd need someone strong to lead them, not a wussy crybaby like me..." Boss said, enriching deeper in his cruel self-defeat. "What was I thinking? Not only did I let everyone see my tears, but I ran off not having any idea of where to go... Being so gruff all the time makes me a lousy domesticated ham, which explains why Bijou would never love me... But getting lost so easily makes me a lousy field ham too..." he said, deep in thought. "I've lost it, haven't I?!" He said aloud. His loud, angry voice echoed throughout the area.  
  
Boss stood there, on the moss growing on a log above a rocky creek. He watched the water slowly trickle and heard faint thunder in the distance. "It's no use," he thought, "After my parents abandoned me when I was young, I felt sad... And I promised never to let anyone into my heart again. But... When I saw her, my feelings totally changed. And now, since I can't have her, it would be completely worthless of me to promise myself the same thing... After all, if I couldn't keep it then, how could I possibly keep it now?" He thought, "I should just... get this overwith..." He said, swallowing hard, "Goodbye world... Goodbye, Bijou... and good luck..." Boss wept some more. Then he took a deep breath. He was miserable, and the only way to end it would be to jump into that creek and get himself over with. "Okay," he thought, "Here goes. 1...2..."  
  
The familiar strumming of guitar strings stopped Boss. His ear twitched. "What the..." Boss said. He slowly dobo-doboed down to where the sound came from. There, sitting beside a rock and a dandelion, was none other than Jingle, the rhyming nomad among the hams. He didn't stay at the clubhouse, but he was just as much of a ham-ham as the rest of them. He looked as if he were about to strum himself a lullaby and fall asleep right on his guitar. "Jingle, it's you!" Boss said, just a tiny bit cheered up.  
  
"The smell of rain draws near, but the thunder is oh so melodic," Jingle began in another one of his poems/songs. "I've been heading out to a warm, dry place, but the smell makes me wanna let it slide and let my fur get soaked..." Jingle continued.  
  
"Hey, Jingle, you've traveled lots of places, right?" Boss asked.  
  
"I am a wanderer, I know places to stay, but know no home," Jingle began again.  
  
"Uh, ok... yeah," Boss began, "Well... In all your wanderings, has there ever been a time where you felt like there was no point in your life? Uh, don't get me wrong, I'm just wondering... A time where you felt like your wanderings are completely pointless, and like the only thing that would make you happy would be to just stop, and...well, end your life?" Boss asked, a bit shy and hesitant.  
  
"A ham I know felt the way you do, full of feelings sad and blue. Now I'll tell you what I told him on that day, so listen carefully to the words I say..." Jingle said. He gently played a familiar tune on his guitar...  
  
"Hold on if you feel like letting go,  
Hold on; it gets better than you know  
Don't stop looking; you're one step closer  
Don't stop searching; it's not over"  
  
These lyrics touched Boss a bit. Jingle was obviously a good guy if he was willing to write a song to make someone feel better. He always knew Jingle was a good guy, of course, but this made Boss a bit closer to him. After all, since Jingle was always on the road, no one really ever got to know him. Of course, Jingle wasn't exactly the easiest guy to get to know, considering he was always such a philosopher. That went the same for Snoozer, too. He had advised Cappy and the other hams earlier that day. "Come. Come and follow me. We can find the place of warmth and work together on my journey," Jingle said.  
  
"Journey? What journey?" Boss asked, confused.  
  
"My journey to find what another is looking for. Together we will find all that we need. Like two expeditionists, we will wander however far we need to." Jingle said, seeming more inspired by these words. "You have your shovel, and I, my guitar. The both of us have our sense of direction. We will wander and overcome all obstacles as a fish swims through water though there are many sharks!" he continued, "Or stay if you like, but I must go. The rains will come soon and the winds, they will blow." he went on, as he began to walk away. As the wind blew through Boss's fur, his ear twitched and he suddenly felt lifted up, as if something was telling him to go with Jingle. He immediately jumped up with excitement.  
  
"That's right! Even without the clubhouse, if I travel around the world exploring like Jingle, that's a true field ham's life!" Boss yelled to himself. "In that case, I can just throw away all my old hopes and dreams!" he said with a big, silly grin on his face. "Farewell clubhouse...farewell ham-hams... FAREWELL, BIJOU!!" Boss continued, waving his fist in the air. He then scampered off yelling "Wait up, Jingle, you got yourself a travel partner!" 


	15. Help From A New Friend

Light Sneasel: Yep. Actually, it's really Boss's journey, but Jingle is there to help him along the way. It might sound weird or corny, but you'll understand in time.  
  
sockpuppetbug: Yay! More kawaii review! Poems are fun. ^_^ Oh, and I tried clicking that link, but it didn't work. Maybe you got it wrong? ::shrugs::  
  
Anyways, onward!  
  
Disclaimer: I DO own this new character... I don't wanna give away her name quite yet, though. ^_^  
Chapter 15: Help From a New Friend  
  
Hamtaro got up from his third fall. The chunky bandage on his paw was making him trip all over himself. It was the smallest one he could find in Laura's desk, though, so he hadn't much choice. He decided to slow it down a bit, hoping that would get him further. It worked. His first priority was to look for Boss and clear things up with him, then go to Bijou's house and talk to her. He started looking in the alley behind Laura's house. "Bijou! Where are you?" he called out in a sad, squeaky voice. Just as Hamtaro was call for her again, he heard yelping. "Heke? Bijou?" Hamtaro cried out with hope. Then he looked ahead and saw a small black scottie dog running toward him. "AHH!" Hamtaro squealed at the sight of the dog. He turned and tried to run, but once again fell flat on his face. The dog charged toward him. Hamtaro uttered out another small squeal and began to tremble.  
  
The scottie meant no harm. She didn't bite or anything, she just sniffed...a lot! Then she gave Hamtaro a big, wet kiss. "Haha, hey, that tickles!" Hamtaro said, returning friendly behavior to the dog. "Hey, do you think you can help me?" Hamtaro asked her. She merely tilted her head, just like Hamtaro would always do. "I'm looking for my friends. Have you seen any other hamsters around here? One of them is big, and-- WHOA!" Hamtaro was cut off by the dog quickly putting him on her back. The next thing he knew, he was clinging to her collar, riding down the alley. She ran so fast that Hamtaro could barely hold on. While she was running, Hamtaro smelled a familiar scent. His whiskers twitched and he looked around. Then his ears twitched at the sound of thunder. "Oh no," he thought, "I know that sound, and I know that smell! Rain must be on it's way!"  
  
Soon, Hamtaro began to feel drops of rain quickly soaking his fur. They were no longer in the alley, but on their way to the ham-ham clubhouse. When they arrived, the dead cat immediately caught the scottie's eye and she immediately started barking at it as loud as she could. Hamtaro climbed up to her ear and said "Don't worry, it's already dead!" Now that the dog was finally standing still, Hamtaro tried to shake the rain out of his fur. Unfortunately, more rain immediately riddled his fur and he was still dowsed with water. Meanwhile, Cappy was still inside the clubhouse. He hadn't left earlier like everyone else, but instead stayed cleaning up the clubhouse as a suprise for Boss. Maybe it would cheer him up when he returned...IF he returned, that is.  
  
Cappy immediately rushed out of the clubhouse. "What's all that noise?" he said, "Yikes!" he exclaimed at the sight of the dog. Then he suddenly eyed and recognized the hamster on top of the dog's head. "Hamtaro!" he exclaimed. Hamtaro jumped down and walked over to Cappy.  
  
"Cappy, what are you doing here? You should be at home!" Hamtaro said, shivering.  
  
"I-I was staying late to...fix things up...for Boss." Cappy said weakly. Aside from Hamtaro, Cappy was the one most distressed by the ham-hams' recent events. Cappy cared very much for Boss. He cared for him more than anyone knew. He wasn't in love with Boss, for he was still a very young hamster. But Cappy had dreamed about being wild and free like Boss was for nearly all his life, and that made Boss very special to him.  
  
"Well, I'm goin' to look for him! I'll definetely find him and bring him back, so don't worry so much, okay?" Hamtaro said.  
  
"You're gonna search for Boss? Oh, boy! Lemme come!" Cappy said, ecstastically.  
  
"Cappy, I dunno if you should go," Hamtaro began.  
  
"Please lemme come, Hamtaro! Boss means a lot to me and I dunno what I'd do if he wasn't safe. And besides, I could help!" Cappy said. Before Hamtaro could turn him down again, he scampered down to the clubhouse. "Oh, Cappy... What is he thinking?" Hamtaro wondered as he awaited Cappy's return. He popped up from the tunnel and had a hat like his, only blue, in one paw, and Boss's helmet in the other.  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro said.  
  
"Here, Hamtaro!" Cappy said, handing him the blue hat.  
  
"W-what's this for?" Hamtaro asked.  
  
"It's not much, but it should help keep ya a little dry!" Cappy said, with a hopeful smile on his face.  
  
"Oh. Thanks, Cappy! I was getting really cold. This should help out a lot!" Hamtaro said, cheered up a little. Hamtaro slipped on the hat, which immediately changed the way he looked. He jumped back on the dog's back and Cappy followed. She immediately charged off farther into the forest...  
  
"I think the strings on your guitar are startin' to rust, Jingle." Boss said.  
  
"Music knows of no rust," Jingle replied. Boss sighed. "Well, I guess I can't expect him to make sense ALL the time..." he thought.  
  
"Look, Jingle, I don't know where this 'warm, dry place' that you talk about is, but if we stay out in this rain much longer, we're not gonna make it. I think it would be best if I dug a hole for us to stay in, okay?" Boss said. Before Jingle could reply, he immediately started digging. The ground was somewhat hard because of the cold, but the rain had softened it a bit. Boss stabbed his shovel into the ground and lifted up a clump of dirt. Clump after clump, he threw dirt over his shoulders. Slimy worms were awakened by his violent digging. He chopped them in half and threw them out with the clumps of dirt they were in. Soon, he had a tunnel. Now all he had to do was dig a hole for it to lead to and for he and Jingle to take refuge in. Jingle was right behind him, strumming away. Pieces of rust flew off the strings as he attempted to play.  
  
"Where are we?" Hamtaro asked, as the dog ran along a creek.  
  
"I think I remember this place from when I ran away to become a field hamster!" Cappy said.  
  
"Do ya smell any trace of another hamster, girl?" Hamtaro asked the dog. She barked and ran faster. "Whoooooooaaaa!!" Hamtaro and Cappy said unanimously, clinging to her collar, "Looks-like-she's-hot-on-a-ham-ster's-trail! Whoa-oa-oaaaa!!" Cappy said, bobbing up and down with Hamtaro. The next thing they knew, Cappy and Hamtaro had flown off of the dog, who lay face down in a pile of dirt. Cappy picked himself up off the ground and spit out a wad of dirt. "Wh-what...happened?" he said. Hamtaro, behind him, also picked himself up. Lucky for him there was no dirt in his mouth. The scottie got up also, much quicker than Hamtaro and Cappy did, and walked over to a hole.  
  
"I guess she tripped over that hole over there," Hamtaro sighed. "Hey, Cappy, where did your hat go?" he said, a little shocked to see Cappy without his special green hat.  
  
"ACK!! It must have fallen off!" Cappy said, "Stupid hole!" he yelled, running towards the hole.  
  
"Cappy, wait! What are you doing?" Hamtaro yelled.  
  
"Take THIS!" Cappy shouted at the hole as he turned around and kicked dirt at it. Unfortunately, he failed at getting "revenge" at the hole and slipped right into it. "Heeeeeeeeeeelp!" he yelled as he fell down the hole.  
  
"Cappy!" Hamtaro said. He tried to run to the hole but fell again due to his clunky band-aid. "Walk... Don't run, just walk..." he said to himself. He walked to the hole and yelled "Cappy, are you alright?" down to it, as the scottie sniffed at the hole. She suddenly started barking and digging it deeper. Cappy's voice was heard, yelling with joy...  
  
"Boss!" 


	16. Persuasion is so stubborn!

A/N: I'm finally updating! Sorry, I've just been pretty busy lately...^^;  
  
Light Sneasel: Yeah, aside from the scottie, I don't really plan on making any of my own characters in this fic. She does play a big part, though. I'm not sure whether or not I should use her in the sequal...hmm...  
  
Jade Stellar: Heh... That's okay. After all, nothing goes together like poetry, music, and the sweet smell of chlorine! ^_^ lol!  
  
Isa: Yay! Another Boss lover! ^_^ I'm really glad you like my fic so far! Anyways, I checked out that Boss shrine of yours. Lookin' good! I love the layout and the kawaii music playing in the background. So, you keep up the good work on your site, and I'll keep workin' on my fic! 'Kay?  
  
Chapter 16: Persuasion is so stubborn!  
  
"Lo, and behold, another ham to join us on our journey to find what another has lost!" Jingle said, strumming the thin, rusted strings on his guitar.  
  
"Cappy, what the heke? What're ya doing here? And where's your hat?" Boss asked.  
  
"Boss, we finally found you!! Me and Hamtaro have been lookin' all over for ya! You and Jingle can come and stay with us at the clubhouse! I cleaned it all up for ya!" Cappy said with a smile beaming from his face.  
  
"Actually, Cappy, I..." Boss cut himself off. Cappy looked so happy and excited to see him... What was he supposed to say now? It was then that Hamtaro hopped down the hole to see what all the fuss was about.  
  
"Hey, Boss, how's it goin'? Ready to come home now?" Hamtaro said cheerfully, hoping to help Boss out.  
  
"It's no good..." Boss mumbled, "It's useless for me even to go..."  
  
"Heke?" Hamtaro said, "What're ya talkin' about, Boss? The ham-hams need you!"  
  
"It's no good for me... I already..." The look on Boss's face quickly turned from depression to anger. "I'm going to forget about the clubhouse and the ham-hams!" he blurted out without thinking. Then he quickly covered his mouth in regret. Hamtaro and Cappy stood there, motionless.  
  
"That's it, Boss?" Hamtaro said, "You're just leaving all us ham-hams? Even Bijou?"  
  
"Well, I... ugh, why shouldn't I?! It's not like anyone misses me there! Besides, Bijou has you, doesn't she?" Boss said, very frustrated.  
  
"Boss, I'm not in love with Bijou!" Hamtaro said, almost crying.  
  
"Oh, really? That's not what I heard at Acorn Mountain!" Boss said furiously, "Is she not good enough for you now?!"  
  
"It's not like that, Boss! Look, I don't have time to explain! Bijou doesn't know what's going on and she won't listen to me, and everyone else is afraid to talk to her because she's been so outrageous lately! Please, Boss, you're Bijou's last hope!" Hamtaro screeched.  
  
"What makes you think Bijou would listen to an old bastard like me?!" Boss yelled.  
  
"Where did Boss go?" Cappy asked sadly, after a long period of silence.  
  
"I'm right here, Cappy," Boss said.  
  
"You're not Boss... at least not judging by the words coming out of your mouth." Cappy said.  
  
"Oh, Cappy, please don't do this. After all that's happened, I'm not in the mood for these kind of games." Boss said.  
  
"When I ran away hoping to become a tough field hamster like you, I didn't know what being a field hamster really meant. But you taught me that being tough and strong didn't matter at all if your heart is weak. Or at least, Boss taught me that. If that's what you--- ehh, I mean Boss, really believes, then I don't think y--- Boss, would be acting like this. Do you?" Cappy said, tearing up.  
  
Boss saw the sadness in Cappy's eyes. His eyes soon matched them. They looked into each other's eyes for a long while. "Is this what I'm trying to forget?" he thought, still looking into Cappy's welled eyes. "There's no way I could possibly forget something so beautiful... Just look at the two of them. They, along with many other ham-hams, need my help now more than ever. And what am I doing? Acting cold... I've never done anything to deserve their respect, yet they somehow keep some kind of love for me. I'm not a good leader at all... All the chaos among them... between Hamtaro and Bijou... it's all because of me..."  
  
"Whaddya say, Boss? Will you come back? At least for Bijou?" Hamtaro asked timidly. Boss nodded slowly.  
  
"Yes Hamtaro. I will talk to Bijou. But as soon as I know she's alright..." Boss paused and swallowed hard. "I...want you to take over the clubhouse for me... and watch over everyone, okay?"  
  
"But Boss, I--"  
  
"Please, Hamtaro... My days of leadership are over." Boss continued softly.  
  
"Okay, Boss-man." Hamtaro said sadly. The four of them scampered up the hole and climbed up on the scottie's back. "Let's go, girl," Hamtaro said softly into her ear. 


	17. A Hero Lies In You

A/N: So sorry... but yesterday was my birthday, so today I'm going to a special lunch. So I don't have enough time to shout out to y'all. But thank you sooooo much for reviewing!! ^___________^ I looove reviews, so keep it up, while I keep up the story! ^_^  
  
Chapter 17: A Hero Lies In You  
Hamtaro had never seen Boss like this before. Hamtaro recalled the first day he met Boss. "He seemed so confident back then," he thought, remembering how Boss felt so sure that he had scored with Bijou. This made Hamtaro remember the wink Bijou gave him. "So THAT'S what was up with her eye..." he thought. He could recall Boss's modesty and shyness when he was trying to tell Bijou how he felt and smiled. "Boss does have a cute side... I bet if maybe he would show it more often, Bijou might start to like him a little bit...maybe," he thought. "Boss was so happy and thought of himself as a great leader back then. And he was a great leader, too! He wouldn't back down when any of us hams were in trouble, and he always seemed to know what to do. He DID get kinda grumpy sometimes, but he would always come to his senses afterwards," Hamtaro said to himself, deep in thought. "But now... when I look at him so sad... and I hear the terrible stuff he says... gosh... Now I know what Cappy was saying." he continued. He turned and looked at Cappy. "He really looks up to Boss, doesn't he? But if Boss doesn't come back, what's he gonna do? Would he be mad at me for taking over? No... After all, it IS Boss's orders... so..." Hamtaro quickly became lost in his mind when he saw a shiver go up Cappy's spine. "Hey, Cappy, aren't you cold? You lost your hat back there." Hamtaro said with concern.  
  
"I'm fine, Hamta-a-ACHOO!" Cappy said in a stuffy voice. His whiskers drooped and he sniffled. His face was extremely pale aside from what some may think was blushing on his cheeks. His eyes were mildly filled with tears, but weren't puffy or red as if he had been crying. "I wish I still had my hat, though... It was really special to... Hey!" Cappy stopped himself. "Gosh, I'm such a hamgoof!" he said, feeling a bit cheered up. He crawled up to the scottie's neck and pulled a shiny, familiar-looking yellow object from it. Then he slowly crawled over to Boss, with hope in his eyes. Boss looked at Cappy and the object he clutched in his tiny paws in awe. But as Cappy approached, he slipped and fell right off of the scottie.  
  
"Cappy!" Boss and Hamtaro said in unison. "Boss, get her to stop!" Hamtaro squealed at the top of his sore lungs. With that, he immediately jumped off the dog's back and ran into the direction of where Cappy fell. Boss stood for about six seconds until finally realizing what Hamtaro meant by "get her to stop". He ran and tugged on the dog's collar as hard as he possibly could.  
  
"Stop, dog!" he yelled. She took a while, but soon recognized Boss's words and quickly came to a halt. Boss jumped off of the dog's back and ran to where Cappy had fallen. While he was running, he dug his hole of self-defeat even deeper. "This is all my fault!" he thought, "It was because he was approaching ME that Cappy fell... great. Am I gonna end up causing pain to ALL the ham-hams?"  
  
"M-my...leg hurts..." Cappy uttered, lying in the puddle of mud in which he had fallen.  
  
"Oh Cappy... can ya get up?" Hamtaro said in a sad, soft tone.  
  
"Lemme know if this hurts, Cappy." Boss said, reaching for the leg. He gently nudged it.  
  
"OUUUUUUUUUUUCHICHIIIIIIII!" Cappy screeched. In the distance, a few birds flew out of their trees, distressed by the awful noise. Boss looked up at them and wished that he could fly away from his troubles just as they did Cappy's screams. Then he looked back down at Cappy and soon saw something that shocked him almost as hard as the sights of Hamtaro and Bijou together that he had previously seen that week... Blood. Cappy's leg was bleeding, and he felt it was all his fault; as if he had broken Cappy's leg with his bare paws. There was no way he could take Cappy with him now... alive, anyway.  
  
"Hamtaro, he won't last out here long." Boss said.  
  
"W-what're we gonna do?" Hamtaro said, as his eyes began to water.  
  
"We're takin' him back to the clubhouse, and you're gonna stay there and take care of him!"  
  
"Heke? But Boss, I've never taken care of anyone before! How can I--"  
  
"Hamtaro, if you're gonna be the leader, you'll have to be prepared to take care of ALL the ham-hams if you're gonna be the leader! Just relax. Do you remember where the emergency first-aid is? Just use that in an emergency." Boss said alarmingly.  
  
"Yeah, I remember..." Hamtaro said sadly. He sniffled and started to cry. As if things weren't bad enough already, now one of the ham-hams was in serious danger, and he, of all the ham-hams, who was inexperienced and deep enough in his own troubles as well, was in charge of his safety.  
  
Boss watched the tears stream down Hamtaro's cheeks. He felt his pain. For a minute, he thought that he was crying as well, but no tears fell upon his face. They merely welled up in his eyes. He couldn't bear it any longer and walked up to Hamtaro in comfort.  
  
"It's alright, Hamtaro. I know this has been hard on you, but things will turn out alright in the end. Trust me." Boss said softly. He took Hamtaro in his arms and let Hamtaro cry on his shoulder.  
  
"But---" Hamtaro stopped and sniffed. "How do you know?" he continued, tears streaming down his cheeks.  
  
"Hamtaro, listen to me. A friend of mine once told me that everything is alright in the end--"  
  
"But what if things aren't alright?"  
  
"If things aren't right, it's not the end."  
  
"... Oh, Boss, I..."  
  
"I'll have to talk to you later, Hamtaro. For now we need to get Cappy safe. On three, we lift him up." Boss said with a light smile. When Hamtaro saw it, his lips lifted into a smile too, and he wiped the tears off his face.  
  
"Okay, Boss." Hamtaro said.  
  
"Here we go!"  
  
"1..."  
  
"2..."  
  
"3!"  
  
Hamtaro and Boss lifted Cappy as the dog approached them and lifted Cappy upon her snout. Hamtaro climbed up on her back, with Boss following. The clubhouse was luckily not that far from where they were. When they arrived, Hamtaro and Boss hopped off as the dog slid Cappy into their arms. They carried him inside and laid him down on Boss's bed. Hamtaro tucked him in and softly began to speak to him. "Things are gonna be okay, now, Cappy. Boss said so, remember?"  
  
Boss walked over and kneeled before the bed. "Cappy, I'm gonna go now. But... Hamtaro'll take good care of you! Right, Hamtaro?"  
  
"Yeah! Of course, Boss-man!" Hamtaro replied, enthusiastically.  
  
"Okay. Now I have to do this, Cappy... for Bijou. She'll be safe soon, just like you. I promise. So...don't worry about her! Heh heh heh heh..."  
  
"But Boss, what about y---"  
  
"Ehh, I gotta go now! Can't keep Bijou and the dog waiting." Boss said, cutting Cappy off. He kissed Cappy on the cheek and quickly ran outside and up the tunnel. He fell at one point because the rain had made the tunnel muddy and slippery, but he quickly resumed his running. Hamtaro walked over to the door and looked out the window.  
  
"Oh Boss... tell Bijou to come back... Bijou... tell Boss to come back..." Hamtaro thought aloud.  
  
"Hamtaro? You okay?" Cappy said. Hamtaro nodded, walking back to Boss's bed. "Hamtaro... do you think he'll come back? No offense, but... I dunno what we'd do without Boss's leadership."  
  
"Oh, trust me, I know how you feel, Cappy." Hamtaro replied, That same thought has been on my mind since Boss told me he wanted ME to lead the ham-hams."  
  
"So... do you think he'll return?" Cappy repeated. A long, awkward silence occured between the two of them. Hamtaro didn't know how to answer. He really wasn't sure what he expected of Boss now. In fact, pretty much everything that Boss had done in the last few days was pretty unpredictable--- from the outrage toward all the ham-hams to the minute he left the clubhouse recently... as if he were afraid of something. This led Hamtaro into deep thought until he finally spoke.  
  
"Honestly, Cappy? I really don't know..."  
  
Cappy looked sad.  
  
"I mean, if he sees Bijou, he may decide something like 'I've gotta go back for her!', but then again, he's kinda been... not-very-nice to himself lately, so it's possible he could decide something like 'I can't go back, Bijou doesn't want me there'... It's hard to tell what he's thinking and feeling right now, Cappy." Hamtaro said. Cappy frowned deeper. "Ahh, but don't worry, Cappy! If Boss runs away, I can arrange a search party, considering I'll be the leader. Now anyway, you shouldn't worry so much. You do need to rest, after all. Plus you're looking kinda pale, so you probably have a cold too. Now just relax, okay?" Hamtaro said.  
  
"Sure, Hamtaro." Cappy said softly. Cappy was surprised at Hamtaro. He was acting like a true leader today, almost like Boss... "Guess he's getting into some kind of leadership experience..." Cappy thought, "Wait a minute, does that mean that Boss went through something like this? Hmm..." Cappy continued in his deep thoughts, as he soon drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Hamtaro stood outside Boss's room and continued worrying. Then after many long minutes of pondering the subject, he kneeled down, almost as if he were praying.  
  
"Bijou, I know you can't hear me, but... I beg you... Boss isn't gonna let you leave the clubhouse, so... please don't let him leave either!"  
  
Then suddenly, Hamtaro heard a shriek. He slammed open the door to Boss's room. "Cappy, what is it?!" he said, breathless.  
  
"D-dream... Boss... Hamtaro... Bijou... b-blood!" Cappy bawled.  
  
"Did you have a bad dream, Cappy?" Hamtaro asked.  
  
Hamtaro's ears twitched, shocked to hear the description of Cappy's dream was the same that he had last night (see chapter 6)... 


	18. Bijou Safe

A/N: ACK!! I'm so sorry for lacking the updates!! X_X Don't worry, I'm still alive. I have a stupid report coming up, so...yeah, I've been busy lately... Anyways...  
  
Fox-Onizuka: Wow! Thanks for taking all that time to read! ^.^ I'm really really glad you like my fic! And actually, I just turned 14 on the 11th! Hehe... *goes to edit profile*  
  
Jade Stellar: Yep. Cappy, Hamtaro, Boss... and someone else! You'll see... And, yeah, there'll be a little bit more T+L in the last chapter, but not much... As for the sequal, I'm not quite sure, but I'm working on another fic that will have plenty of T+L! I'll be posting it as soon as I have written about eight chapters. ^^  
  
Light Sneasel: That's right. Things are looking up in this chapter! And Cappy was about to hand Boss his helmet... Poor Cappy, getting injured after trying to do a favor...I'm evil. O.o  
  
Silver SSJ3 Goku: Thanks! I know there are a lot better fics out there, but as a B+B fic, I guess mine isn't too bad.  
  
DarkMatter: Good! B+B is a very small fan-base. Relax, lots of older kids like Hamtaro. For instance, I'm 14... Almost everyone in my class either hates or has never seen Hamtaro... what a bunch of weirdoes!!  
  
sudz: Heh... Who's quote is that? ^^; Yeah, the dream means something, but that's not to be revealed until the sequal.  
  
MONGOOSE-789: Yes, I am a hypocrite AND an idiot, but that's a whole 'nother story. First of all, I don't tell people not to write H+B fics, I'm just sick of them, that's all. Second, this IS a B+B fic. Read ahead and see the author's notes.  
  
Gosh, that may be the most reviews I've had in a long time! Well, sorry to keep ya waitin'! Here goes chapter 18!!  
Chapter 18: Bijou Safe  
  
As Boss stood outside the clubhouse, he wondered "How am I gonna find Bijou? I don't have a clue where she went and... well, after leaving so quickly, there's no way I could go back down there and ask Hamtaro or Cappy..." Boss looked at the tunnel leading to the clubhouse, then he looked to the right and saw a familiar sight. "Bijou's ribbon!" he thought aloud. He recalled how terrified he was that morning when he saw it on the ground, shredded, making him think the cat had gotten to Bijou (see chapter 7). He picked it up and walked towards the dog. He jumped on her head and placed the ribbon before her nose. "Find Bijou, girl! Where is she?" he exclaimed. Suddenly, the dog started running so fast that the ribbon flew out of Boss's paw and he tumbled down her neck, clutching onto her collar, bobbing up and down.  
  
"Yaah-aa-aa-aahhh!!" he uttered. It was a quick, bumpy ride until they arrived at Bijou's house. "Is this where she went?" Boss wondered. Unfortunately, Boss soon lost his grip on the dog's collar and tumbled down onto Bijou's soft lawn. The scottie immediately ran up to the tree, put her forepaws on it, and barked with all her might, nose up in the air. Boss lifted his face from the ground and ran towards the scottie. Wet grass clinged to his fur, but he ignored it. When he looked up at the tree he saw an unbelievably distressing sight: Bijou, her fur soaked, shivering and whimpering in terror. Boss leapt at the dog and gave her collar a rough yank, making her barking stop.  
  
"Down, girl! I see her!" he yelled. He quickly dob-doboed up the tree to where the terrified Bijou sat. "Bijou, are you okay?" he asked, full of concern. She only uttered more moans and whimpers of fright. "Okay, nevermind. Relax, Bijou, I won't let you get hurt. Follow me!" he said, as he slowly began to walk down the tree. Bijou carefully followed, but once slipped due to the rain. Boss caught her, almost slipping himself. The two of them slowly continued down the tree and were soon standing before the scottie dog that had previously barked at Bijou. Bijou let out a loud, fearful cry. "It's alright, Bijou, she's an ally. She's just a little loud..." Boss said. He hopped on the dog's back and beckoned Bijou to do the same. She did. He walked her over to the collar and grasped it. "Hold tight, Bijou." he said. She nodded and did so.  
  
As they rode off towards the clubhouse, so many things ran through Boss's mind. "I wonder what Bijou's thinking..." he thought, "I hope she doesn't think I'm being too demanding... 'cause I'm doing this all for her..." he looked at Bijou's gorgeous dove-white face, which appeared to give off a moon-pale glow, reminding him of the dream which he (unknowingly along with Hamtaro and Cappy) had last night. "What the hell was that dream about anyway?" Flashbacks of Bijou's and his and Hamtaro's sadness ran through his mind. "So depressing..." he thought, not even noticing that the scottie had come to a stop. They were already at the clubhouse. The dog sat, making Boss and Bijou slide down.  
  
"Heke? How did she know I wanted to come to the clubhouse?" Boss wondered, looking at the scottie. He walked over to her. As her face came closer to his, he hugged and stroked her snout. "Thank you so much for all your help. You can go home now, if you like." he whispered. She gave a soft whimper. "Heh heh heh heh! I'll tell Hamtaro and Cappy you said that. Now you should go home, girl. I hope we can see each other again... maybe you can meet all the ham-hams one day." he said to her as he let go of her snout. She sniffed the air and scampered off to who-knows-where. Boss looked at her until she dissappeared and turned to Bijou.  
  
"Let's get you inside, Bijou." Boss said. She nodded and followed him through the tunnel. He opened the door to the clubhouse. "After you," he said, extending a paw. She bowed to him and walked in. Boss blushed a bit, but quickly shook it off. He walked in behind her and shut the door. "Have a seat, Bijou. I'll get you a towel and a blanket." Boss said, pointing to his big chair. She did just that without hesitation. Boss walked into his room and saw Cappy asleep in his bed, with Hamtaro on the ground, leaning on the bed, asleep as well. Boss smiled and slowly shut the door, trying not to wake them up. Outside the door, he noticed his helmet sitting on a stand. He picked it up and placed it on his head. "That's better!" he thought. Then he walked up to the bathroom to get a few towels. Looking in the mirror as he picked them up, he thought "Guess I'm gonna need another bath later on..." 


	19. I Love You, Bijou

A/N: Well, the story's almost over, so I'm gonna try and keep on top of my updates.  
  
Jade Stellar: Heh... You really like T+L...  
  
DarkMatter: Yep, Bijou's back! ::dances with Kirby::  
  
Ryuujin: Thanks! I love to hear from new reviewers.  
  
Katy-Chan: Thanks! It must have been tough to read all those chapters in one day! Heh. I'm glad you like this! It's okay for the delay... I guess I owe you, so I'll go check out some of your stories, kay? And, yeah, H+B is good and all, but it doesn't need to be in every story... So I'm kinda tired of it too...  
  
Light Sneasel: Don't worry, Cappy'll be okay. ^_^ And this is... *pulls out record that plays "dun-dun-dun" noise* Boss's big confession scene!! O.O  
  
devilman2288: Yeah, okay, I get the point that you hate B+B. I'm sorry, but I can't please everyone and you flaming me constantly isn't going to persuade me to change this to H+B. And, yes, Hamtaro and Bijou make a nice couple, but I prefer Boss+Bijou. Plus I don't think that which cartoon character couple you like is going to determine whether you go to hell or not.  
  
sudz: I really like your poetry! Or whatever you wanna call it. "If one could not believe in love..." Gosh... I gotta start writing these down! ^_^  
  
Tan-chan: Yeah, power to the Hamtaro fanbase!! And, yeah, B+B is my favorite couple too! Yay! And don't worry, as long as I've still got positive reviewers like you guys, I'm not lettin' the flames stop me from writing. ^.^  
  
And now, onto Chapter 19!!  
  
Chapter 19: I Love You, Bijou  
  
"Here ya go, Bijou. Dry yourself off then feel free to use the blanket if you're cold. I'll go get you some flower tea." Boss said, walking off.  
  
"Merci beacoup, Boss." Bijou said softly. Boss blushed at this. Luckily, he was facing the opposite direction of Bijou, so she didn't see. In the other room, Boss poured some hot water into a cup. As Boss put the tea bag in the small mug, he looked at his reflection in the steaming water.  
  
"Tell her, Boss! Tell her how you feel!" he thought to himself aloud. "Ehh... but what if that just puts more pressure on her?" he contreversed. A familiar voice spoke.  
  
"Zu... Dreams can come true.... be strong... gotta...zu zu zu... say how I... feel...zu...zu..." Snoozer said from across the room.  
  
"That's right... I have to let her know how I feel! If I don't tell her, she won't understand why I treated Hamtaro that way and she'll never forgive me! Alright, Boss-man! You've got to speak out! You have GOT to take charge!" He said to himself. The reflection of his dirty face disappeared. The water was now tea, ready to be served to Bijou. Along with Boss's love. He walked into the other room and handed her the mug. "Careful now, Bijou, it's very hot."  
  
"I am fine Boss, thank you so much." Bijou said softly, sipping her tea. Boss blushed once more. He sat down at the round table.  
  
"So, why were you in that tree, Bijou? The weather is much to dangerous for a petite ham such as yourself to be hangin' around in a tree." he said.  
  
"Yes, I know. And I'm sorry, Boss, that you had to come chase after me and---"  
  
"Oh, no, Bijou! I'm just sayin' that you could get very sick, ya know? I don't mind chasing after you at all...anywhere..." Boss said, hoping the hint would get across.  
  
"Well, you see, I do not know if you heard, but Hamtaro...he told me that he was for some reason no longer in love with me... I was so upset, I did not know what else to do, so I just... ran from him. I needed to think straight, so I sat on the tree for awhile. On that tree, I remembered that was where I first met Hamtaro, Oxnard, and you. I think that from that very moment, I was in love with Hamtaro. It was too much, so I just cried. I cried myself to sleep, and had the strangest dream..."  
  
Boss couldn't believe his ears. Bijou had described to him the same dream that he had. Little did he know that Hamtaro did also... Along with Cappy.  
  
"...the next thing I knew, I was being barked at by that black scottie dog and it was pouring outside... I was so afraid that I could not speak!"  
  
"Gee, that explains a lot... Poor Bijou, I can't believe that you were able to sleep that long in the middle of the day!" Boss said.  
  
"Well, you see, with everything that happened between Hamtaro and I at Acorn Mountain..." Bijou said as she began to blush, "I guess I was so excited that I could not get to sleep..."  
  
"Oh, I see..." Boss said.  
  
"Now I guess I just feel so alone," Bijou said, looking down.  
  
Boss immediately jumped up at these words. He ran over to Bijou and kneeled before the chair she sat in.  
  
"Boss, what is it?"  
  
"Look, Bijou, even if Hamtaro isn't in love with you, you should definitely know that I'm always willing to be by your side! I don't wanna ever leave you, Bijou! If you ever feel lonely, just call on me!"  
  
Bijou gasped and turned a little red.  
  
"Uh... Yeah, that's right, Bijou!" Boss put his paw on the back of his neck. "And, the rest of the ham-hams too, cause we're all here for you! Hahahahahaha!!!" Boss said, trying to cover up his "confession".  
  
Bijou tilted her head. "Boss, I don't understand... What are you saying?"  
  
"I-I-I w-w-w-w-w-well, I-I-I, y'see, the thing is I... ehh, b-b-b-b-b-but Ham-ham-ha-ham-ham..." Boss stuttered. "Wait..." he thought, "Where have I seen this before?" He recalled the first day he dared to speak to Bijou. He stuttered just like this until Hamtaro broke out into a ham-ham song. That was what led Bijou to fall in love with Hamtaro instead of himself... he couldn't let this continue. He had to voice his own feelings.  
  
"Bijou... What I really mean to say is..." Boss began more sternly. Bijou looked up at him. Her eyes appeared to be watering, yet she was not crying (You know... in that anime sorta way. ^_^). Boss looked into those eyes. He couldn't resist them. Now she HAD to know.  
  
"Bijou, I..." he reitarrated. "Come on, you moron, spit it out already!" he thought to himself.  
  
"You what? What is it, Boss?" Bijou said in her sweet, adorable French-accented voice.  
  
"I LOVE YOU!" he shouted. Bijou felt a chill up her spine.  
  
"Uh... I'm sorry I yelled, Bijou..." Boss said after a long silence. "But... It's the truth. I've been madly in love with you since the very day I laid my old, field-ham eyes on you. And I know this is pretty sudden, considering we've known each other for awhile now, but it's just the plain truth and I thought you should know."  
  
Bijou nodded. "I already knew."  
  
Boss's jaw dropped. He had been preparing for this moment nearly his whole life, when she could finally hear the truth... and she already knew?  
  
"Boss, I am so sorry if I've mislead you. The truth is, I knew that you liked me since you tried to talk to me that day. I... was somewhat afraid because no one has ever told me they like me before and so I didn't feel like assosciating..."  
  
Boss sweatdropped.  
  
"But when I got to know you better, I realized that you were a very kind person, and even grew to like you a bit..."  
  
Boss's ears perked up.  
  
"But my feelings for Hamtaro were stronger, so I started dating him."  
  
Boss's whiskers drooped. "Yeah, I... understand."  
  
"But now he no longer feels the same... Oh, Boss, I feel so terrible! I treated him so awful for forgetting my name when he had amnesia, not to mention when he mistook my ribbon for a blindfold!" Bijou cried.  
  
"It's okay, Bijou, those mistakes are completely understandable! After all, they were because you love Hamtaro, right?" Boss said, trying to ease Bijou's pain.  
  
"I suppose you are right, Boss..." she said with a sniffle.  
  
"Heck, look at me! I mean, dontcha remember how mad I got when I saw you and Hamtaro blushin' at each other the other day?" Boss said.  
  
"Oh, so that is why you were so angry?" Bijou replied.  
  
"Yeah... That's right, Bijou, I wanted to apologize to ya for that. When I said that Hamtaro took my happiness away... well, I was talking about...you. And it was wrong of me to say that, because... well, you were never mine in the first place." Boss said shyly.  
  
"I am sorry too, Boss." Bijou said with a guilty frown on her face.  
  
"Heke? What for, Bijou?" he said curiously. She had never done him any wrong...had she?  
  
"I knew your feelings and dated Hamtaro anyway... I saw how upset you were, but continued to be with him. I should have at least talked to you instead of ignoring my conscience, and for that, I apologize." Bijou said with a bow.  
  
"It's alright, Bijou... Why, if I were dating you and Hamtaro was jealous, I probably would have done the same..." Boss said.  
  
"I wish I could apologize to Hamtaro..." she said sadly.  
  
"Eh? Oh, that's right! Hamtaro's in the other room, Bijou! I can wake him up and tell him you're here, and I'm sure he'd be glad to---"  
  
"No, Boss!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What is it, Bijou?" He asked.  
  
"I... I'm not ready to face him. I want to go home and... well, think it over..." she said.  
  
"Oh," Boss said, "Speaking of which, I think the rain has stopped!" he said.  
  
"Ah! Let's go see!" she said, bounding towards the door.  
  
"I guess she...really wants to leave. Mm, I don't blame her..." Boss thought as he slowly followed her outside.  
  
A/N: Two more chapters to go, so get reviewin'! 


	20. What Are Your Feelings, Bijou?

A/N: Thanks soooo much for all those reviews! You guys are awesome!  
  
Isa: I'm glad you like my fic so much! ^_^ But, I hate to break it to ya... Bijou doesn't fall in love with Boss yet...sorry. That's not until the sequal. This fic is mainly about how Bijou and Hamtaro's relationship ends and how Boss and Bijou's bond grows stronger. But I can promise true love in the next one, so stay tuned, k? And I totally know what you mean about the lack of B+B-ness on fanfiction.net... B+B is, unfortunately, a pretty small fanbase. Oh, and I'm glad that you like Boss so much, cause he's my favorite too! ^.^ You're site is the coolest, did I mention that?  
  
DarkMatter: Yeah, poor Boss was so nervous. But this is the chapter where Bijou sorta "pays him back"... you'll see what I mean in a bit. ^_^  
  
Ryuujin: Yeah, the fic is almost over. *sigh* I'm gonna miss you guys! ;_; Wait...there'll be a sequal, so...uh, nevermind. lol  
  
old, wrinkly hamster: Glad you like it! I've seen a lot of your reviews on ff.net and so I kinda thought you weren't much of a B+B fan, but I'm glad you like my fic!  
  
devilman2288:.......no comment.......  
  
Light Sneasel: Yeah, thanks to Bijou, Boss'll pull through. And, um, we won't see Bijou talk to Hamtaro in this fic, so... Again, we'll just have to wait for the sequal, which I am currently working on.  
  
Katy-Chan: Yes...You can smell the B+B... It is sooo close that you can taste it... It is sooooooo delicious... Delicious like a... O.O Uh... Sorry about that! Heh... I got a little excited there ^^;  
  
Now, then, the biggest B+B moment in my entire fic, chapter 20!!  
Chapter 20: What Are Your Feelings, Bijou?  
  
"Looks like they're gone now." Cappy said.  
  
"Phew... I thought they might have seen us watching 'em." Hamtaro sighed.  
  
"Are you kiddin'? If I'm gonna be a field ham one day, I'll have to be a master at camoulflage!" Cappy said excitedly.  
  
"Oh, Cappy... Don't you think they make a nice couple?" Hamtaro said, deep in thought about the two.  
  
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen Boss as happy as he is when he's around Bijou!" Cappy replied.  
  
"Bijou looks pretty happy too... that's good." Hamtaro said, smiling with hope.  
  
Sure enough, when Boss and Bijou popped out of the tunnel, they saw no more rain falling. It was dark, so there were no rainbows, but there were stars shining brightly. Bijou looked up in wonder.  
  
"Come, Boss!" she exclaimed happily. Boss did so. He slowly walked up to her. She pointed to the sky. "See the pretty stars? And you can see the constellations! They are so beautiful!"  
  
Boss continued to look at her, but after a few seconds, finally looked toward where she was pointing. "That's right, Bijou. And see how the clouds blend in with the stars and the sky, 'cause they're too thin to block out everything?"  
  
"Oui... You are right, Boss! It is so gorgeous, it reminds me of France!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"She's the most gorgeous being on the face of this earth... It's no wonder she would prefer someone like Hamtaro over someone like me." Boss thought.  
  
"I suppose I should go home... Maria must be very worried!" Bijou said, a bit frightened.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so... Well, I... actually, Bijou, I guess I'll be seein' you around..." Boss said. He didn't want to tell her about his plan to run off and have Hamtaro as the leader.  
  
"You're going to let me go alone in the dark?" Bijou said.  
  
"Uh... okay then, I'll wake Hamtaro up..." Boss said, turning around.  
  
"I told you, Boss, I cannot face Hamtaro yet!" Bijou said.  
  
"Okay... Cappy's in there too, so..."  
  
"No. Not Cappy."  
  
Boss looked down and blushed. "Does she want...me?" he thought, "No... that's too good to be true." The only thing Boss could think to say was "Oh, Bijou, you're asking a bit much if you want me to go wake Snoozer up..." He was still looking down and blushing when those words came out of his mouth.  
  
"I do not want Snoozer, Cappy, or Hamtaro, Boss." she said, still smiling.  
  
"But, Bijou, the only other ham around here is.." Boss pointed at himself. Bijou nodded. "Are you sure, Bijou? You want me?"  
  
Bijou frowned. "What is the matter, Boss? I can go alone if you really do not want to come. But I just thought that maybe you---"  
  
"Oh, Bijou, I'd love to come!" Boss said, immediately running back to her side. The two of them walked a few steps until Bijou suddenly stopped.  
  
"Boss..."  
  
Boss stopped and looked back to see Bijou's outstretched arm extending her paw...to him. Boss was totally breathless.  
  
"Thank you Bijou... but I don't want your pity. You really don't have to do this."  
  
"Although I am sorry for what has happened to you lately, Boss, I am not doing this out of pity." she said with a smile.  
  
"Heke?" was his reply.  
  
"This is something I... want to do." she said.  
  
"You mean you... want to hold MY paw?"  
  
Bijou nodded.  
  
Boss's blush level was higher than ever. He could feel the redness on his face. It took him a few seconds to grasp Bijou's soft, gentle hand. He rubbed it with his fingers for a moment, feeling the tenderness, but quickly stopped. He knew that Bijou liked him a bit, but he didn't want to risk making her feel uncomfortable. Both of them suddenly had visions... Visions of the part of the dream where their blue glow turned white as soon as the two of them were together. "Could it be..." Boss thought, "That maybe she feels a bit...closer to me than before now? Or maybe it's just that I... feel closer to her..." he continued. "Okay, Bijou... I won't leave." he thought to himself, smiling. "If I left now, then there would be no hope. But she's being so kind and gentle...so...maybe...eventually, we could..."  
  
Before they knew it, they were already back at Bijou's house. The walked seemed to have passed by so quickly, not just for Boss, but for Bijou as well. She still had her feelings for Hamtaro, but Boss was the one who had helped her make it through all the pain, which made that moment very special to her. This did not mean that she was in love with Boss, of course, but it meant that she had always had a bit of a "thing" for him and now felt much closer to him than before, making that "thing" a little bit stronger.  
  
"Bijou, if you still don't feel ready to face Hamtaro tomorrow, lemme know, okay? 'Cause, ya know, Hamtaro and I have been through a lot lately too, and if you still don't quite feel..."  
  
"I will be ready, Boss. If there is a change in plans, you will be the first to know." Bijou said, her eyes shining in the moonlight.  
  
Boss felt as if something were about to happen... Without knowing, his face reared in a bit closer to Bijou's. When his face approached hers, he heard music. Bijou heard the music also, and when she did, she had a look of concern.  
  
"Oh my, this is not good!" Bijou said, turning away from Boss. Boss fell right on his face. "Maria only plays that music when she is sad! She must be so worried..." Bijou started to run off, but stopped to wave. "Merci beacoup again, Boss. I will see you again!" she said, and ran off.  
  
Boss sighed. "I was so close... Oh well. With everything that's happened today, I should be grateful. Guess I'll go back to the clubhouse and see how Cappy and Hamtaro are doing."  
  
Boss returned to the clubhouse, knowing that Bijou's heart still belonged to Hamtaro, but smiled anyway, knowing there was hope for the future that shone brighter than it ever had before.  
  
A/N: Just one more chapter to go! 


	21. Conclusion

Before I let you guys read the final chapter of this fic, I'll have to thank all of you who ever reviewed! Yep, even those of ya who flamed! Here y'all are in alphabetical order...  
  
AeroShamu  
DarkMatter  
devilman2288  
DVGBA  
Fox-Onizuka  
Hamtaro Zero  
Isa  
Jade Stellar  
Jessie the Rabid Fangirl  
Kaolla-Su (ACK!! How did that get there?!)  
Katy-Chan  
Light Sneasel  
lil sandy  
MONGOOSE-789  
Neko Inu  
old, wrinkly hamster  
PeachyKeen  
Piglet  
Quistis  
Ryuujin  
Silver SSJ3 Goku  
sockpuppetbug  
StinkerBW  
sudz  
Tan-chan  
Tora the Heartless Tamer  
vit  
ZeroX  
  
Thanks loads, guys! I wouldn't have continued if it weren't for all of ya! Honestly, at first I thought I would get lots of flames and eventually be run outta ff.net! So thanks for helping me get this far! ^_^ Now then, the long awaited final chapter of "Have You Forgotten That I Love You?" Starring Hamtaro and Laura!  
  
Chapter 21: Conclusion  
  
Hamtaro was happy to have made it home that night. The next afternoon, Laura came home from Kana's and immediately took Hamtaro out of his cage and started writing in her diary.  
  
"I was going to come home early and check on Hamtaro, but, to my surprise, there was a black scottie dog sleeping next to Brandy in his doghouse!"  
  
"I know that dog, Laura! She was a big help to me and Boss and Cappy! If not for her, I might not be sitting here right now munching this tasty sunflower seed! Krrmp-krrmp..."  
  
"Kana and I decided to put up some posters and we got a reply really fast! Unbelievably, the person who came to pick up the dog was Travis! Turns out his grandmother was in town and had brought her dog along. She was so worried that she cried a lot, and when Travis saw the posters while taking a walk, he decided to bring her home to surprise his grandmother! That Travis sure is a sweetie..."  
  
"When I had amnesia, I told Bijou I was gonna date her, but when I remembered everything, I was in big trouble 'cause I didn't feel the same about her anymore! Boss was really upset too, and he ran away! Cappy was sad, 'cause he looks up to Boss a whole lot. When I told Bijou how I really felt, she ran away too! Guess they kinda think alike, huh? I had to come home so you wouldn't worry about me, but then you told me you were gonna sleep over at Kana's, so I was glad that I would have more time to sort things out! Plus, you told me all about your good day, which really cheered me up! My foot was sore, but it's feeling a lot better. And Cappy got a big cut on his leg! At first we thought it was broken. I'm so glad it wasn't, but I sure hope it goes away fast! When Boss and Bijou were so happy together, it was really beautiful. 'Specially when they held hands. You should try it with that Travis guy, Laura! It's a lot of fun, trust me, I know. *giggle*"  
  
"Well, it was a really great day yesterday, and so far, today's been terrific! I bet it'll get even better later on, dontcha think, little guy?"  
  
"Heke!"  
A/N: Thank you all for reading. Thanks especially to those of you who reviewed! I'm working on the sequal now, but I'm already kinda struggling to write it... But I can promise you that I will be making a songfic companion to this story! What song? hehe... you'll just have to wait and see! ~_^ 


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